Word: aquinos
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...there was nothing quixotic in the final odyssey of Philippine Opposition Leader Benigno ("Ninoy") Aquino Jr. He may even have known that his murder (if such were to be his fate) would galvanize his countrymen. And so it did. Hour after hour, for three long days last week, the mourners, eventually 300,000 in all, filed past his glass-covered coffin at the Aquino family home in a suburb of Manila. What they saw was not pretty. Aquino's body had been embalmed, but the marks of the assassin's bullet were still horribly visible on his face...
...authoritarian rule, coupled with a deepening economic crisis, has fostered widespread apathy and cynicism, and driven many young Filipinos into the country's small but increasingly troublesome Communist movement. That has weakened the nonviolent center and raised the chances of a post-Marcos military takeover. To many analysts, Aquino was the only opposition figure capable of uniting a broad spectrum of political opinion and, perhaps, engineering a peaceful return to democracy. That, in fact, was his purpose in returning home after three years of exile...
...prospect of turmoil in the strategic islands sent a shudder through Washington. After damning the "cowardly and despicable" assassination, the Reagan Administration called for a thorough and independent investigation of the killing. Even officials who knew and liked Aquino took pains to point out that nothing must jeopardize the special relationship between the two countries and, specifically, the vital U.S. bases at Clark Field and Subic Bay in the Philippines. The problem was doubly sensitive because Reagan is scheduled to visit Manila in November as part of a five-nation Asian tour. Despite calls for its cancellation by individuals including...
...that time, it was clear that the dangers facing him in the Philippines were real. Friends pleaded with Aquino to stay in the U.S.; he seemed almost fatalistic in his insistence on returning, convinced that he was destined to play a crucial role in the post-Marcos transition. "I'm committed to return," he told a friend from childhood. "If fate falls that I should be killed, so be it." Aquino liked to recall Jose Rizal, a Filipino patriot who returned from exile before he was executed by a Spanish firing squad in 1896. Rizal's death sparked...
...Aquino left the U.S. on Aug. 14 and spent a week visiting several Asian capitals. Though the first part of his trip was kept secret, Aquino's arrival in Manila was widely expected. The city was festooned with yellow ribbons hung out by Aquino supporters, and an estimated 20,000 of them, including his 75-year-old mother Aurora, had gathered at the airport to greet him. So had government security forces. The airport was cordoned off by the Aviation Security Command, AVSECOM, a special unit created to guarantee the security of the nation's airports. Two weeks...