"Remembering Ninoy: A Youth Perspective "
by Pamela Gracia Concepcion C. Asis

One Man’s Act of Courage



Today we commemorate the man who once said, “the Filipinos are worth dying for,” and lived and died with its meaning. August 21 is a day where this grateful nation will remember and is reminded of Ninoy Aquino’s supreme sacrifice. Unfortunately, not all young people appreciate Ninoy’s heroic deed. For some, Ninoy is just the name of an international airport, for others he is merely a protagonist in a chapter of a history book, and to many he is but a face in the Php500 bill. But for us young people who appreciate and are grateful to his deeds, we look back at August 21 as one man’s act of courage, which has changed the destiny of the Philippines. We are constantly reminded of how one man’s love for his country and his selflessness became a catharsis for the Filipino people to safeguard democracy and continue the fight for freedom. And how one mans struggle to rediscover God and himself made him a better person, where he found peace amidst chaos. His decision to go home 21 years ago came directly from his strengthened spirit and his hopeful heart.

The Spirit and Ideals of Ninoy
All of these bring to fore a deeper and higher meaning of Ninoy’s supreme sacrifice not just for his generation but more for our generation and the generations that will come after. To remember Ninoy is to go beyond his act of courage, but to remember the very ideals he believed in. The true spirit of Ninoy are embodied in the very things he fought for- peace, democracy, freedom, total human development – all these are constant aspirations of the Filipino people. His hopeful heart is found in all Filipinos. For as long as there are Filipinos willing to go out of their way to do their share in nation building. Citizens who take responsibilities for their actions and have a deep sense of shared governance. An empowered public that claims its stake in making this country better again. He lives among us. Filipinos who are willing to keep the fire that burned in Ninoy’s torch- keeps him alive. His spirit and ideals are timeless, perpetual, and immeasurable and in all aspect- they are universal.

People Power for Young People
What does people power mean for us young people? To many of us People Power is a milestone in history that reminded us of the best the Filipino has to offer. For some People Power is a monument when our country redefined and added a new dimension to democracy. For others, People Power is a continuing revolution, an infinite process of self-discovery as a country. It is a means rather than an end.

People power is about selfless acts, voluntarism and a strong sense of civic responsibility. People power is about collective effort and shared responsibilities to realize a vision. It is about coming together as one country and as one community.

People power is a way of life. It is about living the people power values in our everyday lives. It is working every day of every year to rekindle the spirit and ideals of Ninoy. It means tapping the wellspring of people power in each of us – as individuals and as communities- to fight and work for a better quality of life.

Moving Forward



But beyond the rhetoric, the challenge is how do we ensure that we continue the heart and soul of people power? how do we move forward? How will we inspire others to act?

Somewhere in this room is a youth volunteer who took part in founding a youth organization to temper and abolish violence against sexually abused young women and children. There are others who dedicated their time to better the lives of their fellow indigenous people. Some of us here out of sheer frustration of the country’s governance situation have taken steps to empower young people to vote and claim their stake in nation building. Others have spent time and effort to help underprivileged children have an education. Some work in far flung communities to work with them in preserving the environment. We are only a fraction of the youth, often expressing diverse and even opposing opinions, yet united with a common vision and purpose – to make this country better again. To live our people power ideals.

All of us are aware of the realities of nation building. All of us know that it will take several lifetimes for this country to become better. All of us know and even feel the cynicism of others for this country. Braving these circumstances, we are taking responsibility for ourselves and for our country to continue what generations of young (and not so young) Filipinos have done during their time—even if we do not see the fruits of our labor in our lifetime- at least we know that aside from tending to what was planted before, we ourselves are sowing more seeds for future generations to harvest. We see ourselves as a community of young people, a living and learning laboratory of young leaders imbued with a sense of idealism and fueled with people power values to do our share in nation building.

As a final note, we the Youth Alliance Philippines (YAP), Ayala Young Leaders Congress (AYLC), Children’s Museum and Library Inc. (CMLI)-Junior Council Alumni Association, Kabataang Gabay sa Positibong Pammumuhay, Metrobank Alumni Scholars for Service Excellence and Transformation (ASSET), Students Action Vital to the Environment and Mother Earth (Save Me), Tuklas Katutubo, and the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines (TOSP) Alumni Community want to tell you one message:

SEE the FUTURE, FEEL the HOPE.

Maraming Salamat Po.