“If they have me killed, that’s the best thing. I have always wanted to die for my country.”—Ninoy Aquino
‘The Last Journey of Ninoy” is streaming on iwant.ph. It is a 55-minute documentary by Jun Reyes released in 2009 by the Benigno Aquino Jr. Foundation with Tony Gloria as producer. Bam Aquino played Ninoy in the re-enacted scenes, interspersed with actual footage from the martial law period and up to the days surrounding the Edsa revolution.
Cory Aquino lends her voice as the lone interviewee for the documentary film, this being one of the last interviews, if not the last one that she gave before she died in the same year that it was released. The film was a finalist in the 2009 Aljazeera International Documentary Film Festival and in the 2009 New York Film Festival.
The film chronicles the events of the last 10 days of Ninoy’s life and presents the details of his final days in Boston, Los Angeles, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Taipei before flying to Manila on August 21, 1983. In between, details from his life since the time he was born in 1932 up until his death at 50 are presented either by way of actual footage or commentaries from his widow, Cory.
Particularly moving is the presentation of the events related to his incarceration and solitary confinement. Ninoy was imprisoned for more than seven years and experienced isolation, loneliness, extreme helplessness and eventually, illness, which led to a triple bypass surgery in the US. There was a time when he went through a 40-day hunger strike and at another time, visits from his family were suspended, making him believe that he would not see his loved ones again.
The strength and grace of Cory and her unconditional support for her husband shone through in the movie. It was impressive how she managed to keep her composure, to raise their children very well, and to endure the emotional and psychological stress of having one’s life partner imprisoned for so many years, his fate left in the hands of one man.
Aside from the sometimes confusing arrangement of events in the documentary, the film presents a raw and poignant picture of an important period in our history. I would like to encourage the younger Filipinos to set aside an hour to watch this documentary to learn all about Ninoy’s life and heroism.
What Ninoy did for the country and the Filipino people must never be forgotten; it is important that we remember his sacrifices and be inspired by his life. Most importantly, we need to “continue the struggle and carry the torch…to stand up now and be the leader [because] when all of us are leaders, we will expedite the cause for freedom.”