CONCEPCION, Tarlac (August 21, 2023) — Close to a thousand people in yellow gathered in front of the municipal building this morning to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the death of Ninoy Aquino.
In his message to his townmates, Mayor Noel Villanueva struck a tone of faith, forgiveness, and unity.
“Apat na dekada na ang nakakaraan, simula nang magbuwis ng buhay si Senator Ninoy Aquino para sa ating inang bayan. Nasaan na ang Pilipinas sa kasalukuyan? Nandyan pa rin ang araw-araw na mga problema. Sa ganitong kalagayan, kailangan natin ang matibay na pananampalataya sa Diyos.
Wala tayong dapat gawin kung hindi magkaisa at magmahalan. Iwaksi muna natin ang pulitika. We were divided by politics. Kaya panahon na para muling magkaisa ang Pilipino para sa isang layunin” Villanueva said amid a loud applause from the crowd wearing yellow shirts.
This is also the message of President Bongbong Marcos to the nation today.
“In our purposive quest for more united and prosperous Philippines, let us transcend political barriers that hamper us from securing the comprehensive welfare and advancement of our beloved people,” the president said.
The celebration here might have been the only one in the country as most of Tarlac, where Ninoy was governor from 1961 to 1967, shunned any form of celebration, making do with social media posts. The capital city of Tarlac even snubbed the whole thing entirely, as no post was seen on any of their official social media accounts.
Governor Susan Yap and Mayor Cristy Angeles campaigned for then-candidate Bongbong Marcos even after initially declaring for then-Vice-President Leni Robredo. It was only in Concepcion, Tarlac, where Robredo won last year among the other towns and city in the province of Tarlac.
Republic Act No. 2956 was signed intop law in 2004, declaring August 21 of every year as “Ninoy Aquino Day.” It is a non-working holiday nationwide commemorating the the assassination of Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.
