Benigno Aquino, Filipino leader, was assassinated at the Manila, Phillippines, airport on his return from exile, on August 21, 1983. A few months before he was killed he made this statement before a US House of Representatives subcommittee hearing:
“One can fight hatred with greater hatred, but [former Filipino president Ramón] Magsaysay proved that it is more effective to fight hatred with greater Christian love. . . .
“I have decided to pursue my freedom struggle through the path of nonviolence, fully cognizant that this may be the longer and the more arduous road. If I have made the wrong decision, only I, and maybe my family , will suffer. . . .But by taking the road of revolution, how many lives, other than mine, will have to be sacrificed? . . .
“I refuse to believe that it is necessary for a nation to build its foundations on the bones of its young. . . Filipinos are still killing each other in ever increasing numbers. This blood-letting must cease. This madness must cease.
“I think it can be stopped if all Filipinos can get together as true brothers and sisters and search for a healing solution in a genuine spirit of give and take. We must transcend our petty selves, forget our hurts and bitterness, cast aside thoughts of revenge, and let sanity, reason, and, above all, love of country prevail during our gravest hour.”
walk the way 