Well, if you a huge fan of Ninoy Aquino, I warned you in advance not to read the Facebook post of this brave former DLSU history professor because this would definitely make your blood boils in anger!
If you are a Ninoy Aquino fan, who wouldn’ be mad at History professor Van Ybiernas for proposing that August 21 should be remove as a NATIONAL holiday and worse, relegate it as a provincial holiday in Tarlac?
However, if you are open-minded and willing to listen to his reasons because as a historian, he knows better than most of us with regards to issues like this.
If you are a non-Aquino fan, you will fall in love Van Ybiernas because the guy is the complete opposite of GMA News analyst Richard Heydarian. Lol
Moving forward to the Ybiernas arguments why August 21 should be remove as a NATIONAL holiday, I reckon who would do justice in explaining his reasons other than the guy himself, right?
So without further adieu, I urge you to start reading Van Ybiernas full FB post below why he questioned Ninoy Aquino having a NATIONAL holiday just like Rizal and Bonifacio.
Ninoy Aquino Day bukas…
At some point we have to remove this as a NATIONAL holiday and make it a provincial holiday in Tarlac.
Parati kong sinasabi: tatlo lang sila nina Rizal at Bonifacio na may NATIONAL holiday. E solid na solid na yung Rizal. Sure, may mga residual effects pa rin sa mga di nag-aral ng kasaysayan ng mabuti yung paniniwala na Rizal was an American-sponsored hero o kaya ay hindi nakuha yung pagkondena ni Rizal sa Rebolusyon ng 1896 bilang HINDI PA HINOG o WALA PA SA TAMANG PANAHON. Pero, sa kabuuan solid na yung Rizal.
Solid na rin yung Bonifacio. May mga Aguinaldista pa rin na salty hanggang ngayon, paano naman kasi para sa iba, magkakabit ang kapalaran nina Boni at Agui. Pero, sa totoo lang, mas nakakabit si Boni kay Emilio Jacinto at ang pangarap nilang dalawa para sa isang TUNAY NA MALAYANG BANSA, na walang kinalaman kay Aguinaldo. Solid yung Kartilya ng Katipunan at yung Pilosopiya ng Katipunan. Matibay ang pundasyon ni Bonifacio (at Jacinto —dapat hati sila sa holiday). Hindi na matitibag. Minor lang talaga ang role ni Aguinaldo sa Bonifacio/Jacinto narrative. Napakalinaw nyan.
Yung Ninoy Aquino ang walang sariling naratibo NA MATIBAY unless ikabit siya —na siyang ginagawa ng mga Dilaw— sa “kasamaan” ni Marcos. Medyo na-unsettle na ito in recent years dahil sa changing landscape sa national politics. Ninoy Aquino should have been allowed to fade into history during the heydays of Yellow politics. Pero, Ninoy’s memory was never allowed to die a natural death. Hindi siya pinabayaang tumawid sa kasaysayan. Ngayon, yung naratibo ng late 80s, 90s at kahit 2000s ay na-unsettle. The people of 2019 no longer see Ninoy the same way the people of 1983 saw him. The people of 2019 also see Marcos differently from the people of 1983.
Sure, some seek to distort history. But others simply wish to punish Ninoy together with his wife and children for what they have collectively FAILED to do for the country, despite their glittering promises. People of the 1980s applauded Ninoy and like-minded people as they sought to sabotage the country’s economy and political stability in order to bring about Marcos’s downfall. But the people of 2019 no longer see that positively. People of the 1980s ignored Ninoy’s ties with the communist insurgents but the people of 2019 will not. People of the 1980s believed Ninoy’s narrative of a reformed trapo who was only seeking to save the country from Marcos. But the people of 2019 no longer believe that, choosing to believe instead that it is part of the broader narrative to cast Marcos negatively and lead to his downfall, so that Ninoy may take over.
Ninoy Aquino’s position in history is volatile. Some people think that’s because of historical distortion or some sort of post-truth phenomenon. They’d be wrong. Ninoy Aquino critics of 2019 may lack the ability to find the right words to express how they feel, as such falling prey to historical distortion and post-truth. But these people will eventually find their voices and express their true sentiments: Ninoy Aquino’s “heroism” is quite untenable for them.
Sooner or later, we will have to re-evaluate Ninoy Aquino Day and ask whether or not this national holiday is truly deserved
Your reaction?
tama! ano naman talagang significance o ginawang napaka heroic para maging makahulugan para gawing National Holiday ang August 21? sabi dahil sya ang nagbigay ng demokrasya eh lahat ba tayo non sinupil ni Marcos at nawalan tayo ng demokrasya? o freeom eh sino b yong pinaghuhuli noon o apektado ng pagiging diktador at pagka kurap daw ni Marcos? ngayon kitang kita n ang totoo kung sino mga naging diktador at mas kurap mga walang malasakit sa bayan kundi pansarili lng?