“Nasaan ka ba?” (“Where are you?”) then-Sen. Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III, fondly called Noynoy, asked in an Aug. 31, 2009, text message to me.
I was among those who suggested, through text, that he first undertake a spiritual retreat before proceeding with his crucial decision on whether to run for the highest office in the Philippines. He readily thanked me for that piece of advice.
In retrospect, it seemed prophetic that, in a corner of St. John Bosco Parish in Makati City, I asked for his mobile number for the first time. I had never done so during the years I had known him out of respect for his privacy. But I felt that something momentous would happen in the near future, and Noynoy gave me his number at once.
That was on Aug. 21, 2008, during the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the death of his father, former Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.
As I listened to his mother’s speech, titled “Keeping Ninoy Alive in Our Hearts and Minds,” I sensed that something historic would soon occur — that Noynoy would take the lead and find himself in the national spotlight. The touching “I Am Ninoy” campaign was also launched that day.
I vividly remember his mother, former President Corazon “Cory” Aquino, saying:
“‘I Am Ninoy’ is a modern-day Filipino’s simple expression of solidarity with those who profess faith in the principles of truth, justice, spirituality, democracy and human rights. It echoes the slogan that we of older generations used to utter proudly on the streets: ‘Ninoy, hindi ka nag-iisa.’ To us then, the mood was one of defiance in the face of the brazen tyranny that claimed Ninoy’s life, among thousands of others, and held our freedom ransom.”
During his mother’s wake at La Salle Green Hills, where Tita Cory’s remains were first brought for public viewing, Noynoy left his friends and came toward me. He whispered that he had received all my text messages. At that moment, I suddenly had a vision that he would become the nation’s leader.
My first exclusive interview with Noynoy, however, took place when he was still known primarily as the president’s son.
He recalled the happy moments he shared with his father when Ninoy was a senator. They would watch films, play jokes on each other, go to church, dine at a Chinese restaurant, vacation in Tarlac and Baguio, ride horses and jeepneys, participate in charitable and outreach work for the poor, and work on school assignments together.
He also recalled the declaration of martial law in September 1972, when he was 12 years old and still a pupil at Ateneo Grade School.
Noynoy spoke about becoming close to his father again when he was about to graduate with a degree in economics from Ateneo de Manila University.
“I vividly remember that I had a date for my class graduation ball,” he said. “My dad asked me who my date was, and I revealed her name to him. My father, as if he knew all the people in the world, asked, ‘Ano niya si _____?’
“I answered, ‘Dad, tatay niya iyon!’
“My father then said, ‘Sinisisi nga ako ng tatay niya dahil natalo sila. Dinaya raw sila sa halalan, pero sila talaga ang nandaya. Malaki pa rin ang sama ng loob sa akin.’
“I learned this only three hours before I was supposed to pick up the girl. I said to my father, ‘Dad, kung malaki pa rin ang galit sa iyo ng taong iyon, e, martial law pa naman ngayon, baka naman ang sumalubong sa akin ay shotgun!’
“Tawa kami nang tawa. He said to me, ‘Hindi naman niya gagawin iyon. Edukadong tao iyon.’”
Noynoy also recalled the family’s memorable years in exile in Boston, Massachusetts. He would pick up his father’s friends from the airport, cook rice and other food, and take care of his father’s dog.
Before Ninoy returned to the Philippines, Noynoy suggested that his father negotiate from a position of strength and return through a backdoor route in southern Mindanao. His father rejected the proposal.
“Sabi ko, ‘Bakit mo aasahan si Marcos na magkaroon ng magandang loob? Bakit mo pagkakatiwalaan na maging reasonable man lang?’” Noynoy recalled.
“Wala sa ugali’t pagkatao ni Marcos iyon. Ngunit puwede mong gawing reasonable kung nandoon ka na sa position of strength na kailangan ka niyang pakinggan. Baka iyon ang mas magandang solusyon.
“Ang sagot ng tatay ko, ‘Anong mangyayari niyon, confrontational kaagad? Maski sinuman ang manalo, problema ang mamanahin mo at maraming mapipinsala at masasaktan. Hindi yata iyon tama.’
“Pero sabi ko nga, tatay ko ito. Siyempre, nagmamalasakit ako. Para bang papasok ka sa isang swimming pool na puro buwaya at mga shark na gutom na gutom.”
Noynoy was also supposed to travel with his father when Ninoy returned to the Philippines. Had Noynoy accompanied him on the flight home, he might also have been killed, just like his father.
Noynoy told me that, when he was about a year old, he suffered from an intestinal flu, and there were fears that he would not survive. He became severely malnourished. But with his parents’ unwavering faith and trust in God, Noynoy survived.
Years later, during his mother’s early years as president, he was seriously wounded during an attempted coup but survived that grim episode. Perhaps there was a reason that only God knew.
Even after his mother was no longer president, I would see Noynoy during EDSA anniversary commemorations, the annual observance of his father’s death every Aug. 21 at Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque, protest rallies against proposed changes to the Constitution, and the Mass for Truth at La Salle Green Hills in February 2008.
I also saw him at the launch of “Cory — An Intimate Portrait,” edited by former presidential appointments secretary Margie Penson-Juico, at Bestsellers bookstore in Robinsons Galleria. Noynoy attended the event on behalf of his mother.
One time, I went to his mother’s home at 25 Times Street in Quezon City to give her a birthday card. She kindly invited me inside for lunch, and, of course, Noynoy was there.
At the invitation of former Sen. Agapito “Butz” Aquino, I spent Christmas Day with the Aquino clan during a family reunion at the residence of former Sen. Tessie Aquino-Oreta in Urdaneta Village, Makati City. There, I met Noynoy’s cousins, nephews and nieces.
During the burial of Doña Aurora Aquino, whom I had met and interviewed when she was alive, in Concepcion, Tarlac, Noynoy remained composed as he recalled the kindness of his “Lola Gindang,” or “Lollie,” as his grandmother was affectionately called.
Noynoy later became the 15th president of the Republic of the Philippines, and the rest is history.
Former Philippine President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III died on June 24, 2021, at the age of 61.
