Sara warns father Rodrigo of assasination if he insists on going home

National

VICE President Sara Duterte cautioned her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, that insisting on returning to the Philippines could put him in the same situation as that of the assassinated democracy leader Benigno ‘Ninoy’ Aquino Jr.

The vice president made the statement on Sunday, March 23, at a gathering of Duterte supporters in Het Malieveld Park in The Hague, Netherlands, where her father is currently being detained by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

ICC has ordered the arrest of Duterte for alleged crimes against humanity stemming from his administration’s bloody war on drugs.

Aquino was a prominent opposition leader during then-President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s dictatorial rule, and was assassinated on August 21, 1983.

Upon his return to the Philippines following a self-imposed exile in the United States, Aquino was shot dead shortly after arriving at Manila International Airport, now named Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in his memory.

Aquino remained firm in his decision to return to the country and challenge the authoritarian Marcos regime despite the risks.

Prior to his flight, he said in a media interview, “We all have to die sometime. If it is my fate to die by an assassin’s bullet, so be it. But I cannot be petrified by an action or a fear of assassination and therefore stay in a corner.”

His assassination marked a turning point in Philippine history, as it set the stage for the People Power Revolution three years later, which led to the downfall of Marcos Sr. and the rise of his widow Corazon “Cory” Aquino as president.

Meanwhile, the vice president stated her concerns for her father’s “safety and security,” but the former president, she said, has repeatedly insisted, “Ibalik niyo ako sa Pilipinas (take me back to the Philippines).”

On the other hand, Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said on Monday, March 24, there is no truth to threat claims against the former president.

“Wala pong katotohanan ‘yan,” Castro said in a press briefing.(Rey Martin Rio, USJ-R Comm Intern)