Assassination of Benigno Aquino, Jr.

Assassination of Benigno Aquino Jr.
Aftermath of the assassination captured on video. The video is broadcast through RPN Channel 9
Location	Manila International Airport, Parañaque, Philippines
Date	August 21, 1983 Approx. 13:00 PST (GMT+8) (Tarmac of the Manila International Airport)
Attack type	Shooting
Weapons	.357 revolver
Deaths	2 (Benigno Aquino Jr. and Rolando Galman)
Suspected perpetrators	Pablo Martinez / Rogelio Moreno /Rolando Galman (disputed)
Number of participants	16 (all convicted)

The assassination of Benigno Aquino Jr., former Philippine Senator, took place on Sunday, August 21, 1983 at Manila International Airport. Aquino, a longtime political opponent of then-President Ferdinand Marcos, had just landed in his home country after three years of self-imposed exile in the United States when he was shot in the head while being escorted from an aircraft to a vehicle that was waiting to transport him to prison. Also killed was Rolando Galman, who was later implicated in Aquino's murder.

Aquino was elected to the Philippine Senate in 1967 and shortly thereafter began speaking out against Marcos's authoritarian rule. He was imprisoned on charges of murder, illegal possession of firearms and subversion, along with communist New People's Army leaders Bernabe Buscayno (Commander Dante) and Lt. Victor Corpuz shortly after Marcos's 1972 declaration of martial law and was sentenced to death in 1977. Aquino formed the party Lakas ng Bayan and ran in the Philippine parliamentary election, 1978; however, all of the party's candidates, including Ninoy (who was in prison) and others such as Alex Boncayao, Ramon Mitra Jr, Neptali Gonzales, Ernie Maceda and Tito Guingona lost in the election. In 1980, he suffered a heart attack in prison and was allowed to leave the country two months later by Marcos's wife, Imelda. He spent the next three years in exile near Boston before deciding to return to the Philippines.

Aquino's assassination is credited with transforming the opposition to the Marcos regime from a small, isolated movement into a national crusade. It is also credited with thrusting Aquino's widow, Corazon Aquino, into the public spotlight and her running for president in the snap election of 1986. Though Marcos was officially declared the winner of the election, widespread allegations of fraud and illegal tampering on Marcos's behalf is credited with sparking the People Power Revolution, which resulted in Marcos fleeing the country and conceding the presidency to Corazon Aquino.