August 21, 2026

By Leocas Samoel O. Encarnacion

Ninoy is not a hero. Marcos is not a hero. In this age of social media, such declarations have become ammunition in a nation still divided by its history. Every August 21, as the country commemorates Ninoy Aquino Day, Filipinos once again find themselves debating not only the man who fell on the tarmac, but what his death came to represent. Yet perhaps, we have been asking the wrong question. Instead of asking whether Ninoy, or anyone else, deserves to be called a hero, we should ask: What truly classifies someone as a hero?

Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. was a journalist, politician, senator, and one of the most prominent political opponents of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. He was arrested following the declaration of Martial Law in 1972, imprisoned and later sentenced by a military court, before being allowed to travel to the United States for medical treatment in 1980. After years in exile, he chose to return to the Philippines on August 21, 1983. He was assassinated shortly after stepping off the plane. His death shocked the nation and became a defining moment in the growing movement against the Marcos regime.

But, dying does not automatically make someone a hero. Neither does holding public office, winning elections, possessing a famous surname, having a cardboard standee on every corner, or having thousands of followers. Heroism demands more than recognition. It requires the courage to stand for something greater than oneself—the willingness to sacrifice personal comfort for others, and the conviction to act when remaining silent would be easier. Ninoy’s significance, therefore, should not be measured merely by the fact that he died, but by what his life, his choices, and ultimately his death awakened in the Filipino people.

Of course, Ninoy was not without flaws. He was a politician, and like every politician, his record, decisions, and motivations deserve scrutiny. Calling someone a hero should never mean placing that person beyond criticism. Likewise, criticizing Ninoy does not automatically make someone an enemy of democracy, just as praising him does not automatically make someone morally infallible. History becomes dangerous when we reduce people into saints and villains based solely on political allegiance. We must be capable of honoring sacrifice while still confronting complexity.

Perhaps the answer is to stop treating heroism as a title to be awarded and instead see it as a standard to be lived. A hero may be found not only in the pages of history, but in the teacher who continues teaching despite hardship, the laborer who provides for a family despite exhaustion, the frontline workers and volunteers who serve the public without expecting recognition, or the citizen who chooses honesty when corruption would be easier. We should teach the next generation not merely whom to call heroes, but what kind of life makes heroism possible.

Ninoy left us with the words, “The Filipino is worth dying for.” His wife, Cory, answered that the Filipino is worth living for. His son, the late President Noynoy Aquino , carried the same spirit in saying that the Filipino is worth fighting for. Perhaps that is what classifies someone as a hero—he who lives, fights, and dies for the Filipino, in his or her own Filipino little way. Because in the end, heroism is not about the name carved into a monument. It is about what we are willing to give of ourselves for others, and whether when our own moment comes, we choose to take a stand.