Mari

Total population
604,000
Regions with significant populations
Russia 604,000
Languages
Mari, (42,000 speak Tatar as a third language), Russian
Religion
Predominantly † Orthodox Christianity (Russian Orthodox Church) and Mari Traditional Religion. Muslim minority.
Related ethnic groups
other Uralic peoples

The Mari (Russian: черемисы (old name), марийцы (modern name)), are a Volga-Finnic people who have traditionally lived along the Volga and Kama rivers in Russia. The majority of Maris today live in the Mari El Republic, with significant populations in the Tatarstan and Bashkortostan republics. In the past, the Mari have also been known as the Cheremis in Russian and the Çirmeş in Tatar.

The Mari people consists of three different groups: the Meadow Mari, who live along the left bank of the Volga, the Mountain Mari, who live along the right bank of the Volga, and Eastern Mari, who live in the Bashkortostan republic. In the 2002 Russian census, 604,298 people identified themselves as "Mari," with 18,515 of those specifying that they were Mountain Mari and 56,119 as Eastern Mari. Almost 60% of Mari lived in rural areas.^[1]

Language[link]

The Mari have their own language, also called Mari, which is a member of the Uralic language family. It is written with a modified version of the Cyrillic alphabet. Linguists today distinguish four different dialects, which are not all mutually intelligible: Hill Mari (мары йӹлмӹ), concentrated mainly along the right Volga bank; Meadow Mari (марий йылме), spoken in the lowland regions of the Kokshaga and Volga rivers, which includes the city of Yoshkar-Ola; Eastern Mari, spoken east of the Vyatka River; and North-Western Mari.

In the 2002 census, 451,033 people stated that they spoke the Mari language.

Religion[link]

Maris have traditionally practiced a pagan faith that closely connected the individual with nature. According to their beliefs, nature exerts a magical influence over people. They relate to it as a sacred, powerful, and living being outside of which man can not exist. Nature serves as a source of absolute good who always helps man as long as he does not harm or oppose it.^[2]

The Mari Traditional Religion also possesses a pantheon of gods who reside in the heavens, the most important of whom is known as the Great White God (Ош Кугу Юмо, Osh Kugu Yumo). Other lesser gods include the god of fire (Тул Юмо, Tul Yumo) and the god of wind (Мардеж Юмо, Mardezh Yumo). The Mari also believe in a number of half-men, half-gods (керемет, keremet) who live on earth. The most revered of these gods is Chumbulat (Чумбулат), Kubrat or Chumbylat (Чумбылат), a renowned leader and warrior.^[3]

Christianity was adopted by the Mari in the 16th century after their territory was incorporated into the Russian Empire during the reign of Ivan IV "the Terrible". Adoption of Christianity was not universal, however, and many Mari today still practice Paganism in syncretic forms, or purer forms adhering to organised Neopagan Mari Traditional Religion organisations. Pagans constitute a significant minority of 25 to 40% of the Mari.

Soviet Union[link]

Following the organisation of Muslims in the Soviet Union through Muskom, the Mari Section was set up under the auspices of Narkomnats, the Peoples Commissariat for nationalities. Its task was to facilitate the close union of the Mari people with other people, to abolish anti-Russian mistrust and to raise the "class consciousness" of Mari workers. In practice this involved facilitating grain requisitions by the Soviet state, the recruitment of soldiers for the Red Army and the implementation of Bolshevik control of the society.^[4]

See also[link]

• Mari El
• Mari language

References[link]

External links[link]

• The Moscow Times: 'Europe's Last Pagans' Worship in Marii-El Grove
• Encyclopaedia of Mari mythology (Russian)

Mari Boine
Mari Boine performing at Riddu Riđđu 2006
Background information
Birth name	Mari Boine Olsen
Born	(1956-11-08) 8 November 1956 (age 55) Finnmark, Norway
Genres	Yoik, Folk rock, jazz, rock
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, record producer
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	Real World
Website	mariboine.no

Mari Boine at Kongsberg Jazz Festival 2007.

Mari Boine, previously known as Mari Boine Persen, née Mari Boine Olsen (born 8 November 1956) is a Norwegian Sami musician known for having added jazz and rock to the yoiks of her native people. Gula Gula (first released by Iđut, 1989, later re-released by Real World) was her breakthrough release, and she continued to record popular albums throughout the 1990s.^[1] In 2008, she was appointed Professor of musicology at Nesna University College.^[2]

Biography[link]

Mari Boine in Warsaw, September 2007

Boine was born and raised in Gámehisnjárga, a village on the river Anarjohka in Karasjok municipality in Finnmark, in the far north of Norway.^[3]

Boine's parents were Sami (Lapps). They made a living from salmon fishing and farming. She grew up steeped in the region's natural environment, but also amidst the strict Laestadian Christian movement with discrimination against her people: for example, singing in the traditional Sami joik style was considered 'the devil's work'. The local school that Boine attended reflected a very different world from her family's. All the teaching was in Norwegian.^[4]

Anti-racism[link]

As Boine grew up, she started to rebel against being an inferior Lappish woman in Norwegian society. For instance, the booklet accompanying the CD 'Leahkastin' (Unfolding) is illustrated with photographs with racist captions like "Lapps report for anthropological measurement", "Typical female Lapp", "A well-nourished Lapp"; and it ends with a photo of Boine herself as a girl, captioned "Mari, one of the rugged Lapp-girl types" and attributed "(Photo: Unidentified priest)".^[5]

When Boine's album Gula Gula was first released on Peter Gabriel's RealWorld label in July 1990, its front cover (see illustration) showed an iconic image of the tundra of the far north, the eye of a Snowy Owl. The front cover curiously did not show the name of the album, or the name or face of Marie Boine herself; the back cover printed the name 'Mari Boine Persen', the Persen surname identifying her as a Norwegian rather than a Sami.^[6] On the 2007 release on her own Lean label,^[7] the album cover explicitly names Mari Boine with her Sami surname, and shows her (see illustration) in full Sami costume as a shamanistic dancer of her own people, while the white background, like the Snowy Owl of the original release, hints at the snows of the north.

Boine was asked to perform at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, but refused because she perceived the invitation as an attempt to bring a token minority to the ceremonies.^[8]

Musical style[link]

Boine's songs are strongly rooted in her experience of being in a despised minority. For example, the song 'Oppskrift for Herrefolk' (Recipe for a Master Race) on her breakthrough CD 'Gula Gula', sung in Norwegian unlike the rest of the songs which are in Sami, speaks directly of 'discrimination and hate', and ironically recommends ways of oppressing a minority: "Use bible and booze and bayonet"; "Use articles of law against ancient rights".^[9]

Boine's other songs are more positive, often singing of the beauty and wildness of Sapmi (Lapland). The title track of 'Gula Gula' asks the listener to remember 'that the earth is our mother'.^[10]

Boine sings in a traditional folk style, using the yodelling 'yoik' voice, with a range of accompanying instruments and percussion. For example, on 'Gula Gula' the instruments used are drum, guitar, electric bass clarinet, dozo n'koni, ganga, claypot, darboka, tambourine, seed rattles, cymbal, clarinet, piano, frame drum, saz, drone drum, hammered dulcimer, bosoki, overtone flute, bells, bass, quena, charango and antara.^[11]

Reception[link]

Rootsworld, interviewing Boine in 2002, described her as "an unofficial Sami cultural ambassador".^[12]

The Guardian, in its 2010 F&M playlist of songs "they just can't turn off", describes My Friend of Angel Tribe with the words "Norwegian Sami singer Boine, with this soft, melancholy and utterly mesmerising song."^[13]

Johnny Loftus, reviewing Boine's Eight Seasons, wrote that "Boine seems to have been inspired, collaborating with producer Bugge Wesseltoft for a collection of pieces weaving her alternately supple and intimate, angry and otherworldly vocals into moody arrangements tinged with jazz influence and electronic programming."^[14] While there was a degree of cliche in that, wrote Loftus, it worked well, concluding: "Boine's voice, filtered at first behind the halting notes of a guitar, builds in strength over the brooding electronic rhythm, until her Joik overtakes the electronics completely, becoming fully responsible for the song's deep, chilly atmosphere. Let's see a keyboard's hard drive do that."^[14]

Awards[link]

In 2003 Boine was awarded the Nordic Council Music Prize. She was appointed knight, first class in the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav for her artistic diversity on September 18, 2009.^[15]

Discography[link]

Jaskatvuođa maŋŋá / Etter stillheten / After the Silence (1985)[link]

A.1. Alla Hearra Guhkkin Oslos

A.2. Oktavuohta

A.3. Ceavlas Galbma Garvvuid Sis(te)

A.4. Mearrasapmelazzii

A.5. Sii Navccahuhttet Mu

B.1. Idja Lea Mannan

B.2. Anuheapmi

B.3. Koffor E Det Sa Stille

B.4. Na Darvanii Jahkku *

B.5. Oainnat Go Mo Cuvggoda Dal

* Mari Boine (first) lyrics, set to John Lennon's Working Class Hero music

Gula Gula / Hør stammødrenes stemme / Hear the Voices of the Foremothers (1989)[link]

1. Gula Gula (Hear the Voices of the Foremothers)
2. Vilges Suola (White Thief)
3. Balu Badjel Go Vuoittán (When I Win Against Fear)
4. Du Lahka (Near You)
5. It Šat Duolmma Mu (Free at Last)
6. Eadnán Bákti (To Woman)
7. Oppskrift For Herrefolk (Recipe for a Master Race)
8. Duinne (To You)

Bonus tracks on the 2003 remastered reissue:

1. Oarbbis Leat
2. Čuovgi Liekkas
3. Gula Gula - Chilluminati Mix

Goaskinviellja / Ørnebror / Eagle Brother (1993)[link]

1. Čuvges Vuovttat, Duođalaš Čalbmi (Hair of Light, Solemn Eye)
2. Sámi Eatnan Duoddarat (Samilands Rippling Tundra)
3. Modjás Kátrin (Katrin Who Smiles)
4. Dás Áiggun Čuožžut (Within Myself)
5. Dolgesuorbmagežiiguin (A Feathered Touch)
6. Skádja (The Reverberation)
7. Goaskinviellja (Eagle Brother)
8. Ráhkesvuođain (Feather the World)
9. Mu Áhkku (My Grandma)
10. Ále Ále Don (Don't Go... Not You)

Leahkastin / Unfolding (1994)[link]

1. Gumppet Holvot (The Wolves Howl)
2. Ále Šat (No More)
3. Čuovgi Liekkas (Radiant Warmth)
4. Áhččai (To My Father)
5. Maid Áiggot Muinna Eallin (What Do You Want Life?)
6. Mielahisvuohta (Lunacy Lunacy)
7. Gilvve Gollát (Sow Your Gold)
8. Gulan Du (Hearing You)
9. Vuolgge Mu Mielde Bassivárrái (Come with Me to the Sacred Mountain)
10. Mun Da'han Lean Oaivámuš (Just When I Had...)
11. Dá Lean Mun (Here I Am)

Radiant Warmth (1996)[link]

(Compilation from 'Goaskinviellja' and 'Leahkastin')

1. Goaskinviellja (Eagle Brother)
2. Ale Sat (No More)
3. Cuovgi Liekkas (Radiant Warmth)
4. Skádja (Reverberation)
5. Cuvges Vuovttat, Duodalas Calbmi (Hair of Light, Solemn Eye)
6. Modjás Kátrin (Katrin Who Smiles)
7. Mielahisvuohta (Lunacy, Lunacy)
8. Gilvve Gollát (Sow Your Gold)
9. Gulan Du (Hearing You)
10. Vuolgge Mu Mielde Bassivárrái (Come with Me to the Sacred Mountain)
11. Ráhkesvuodain (Feather the World)
12. Mu Ahkku (Grandma)
13. Ale Ale Don (Don't Go... Not You)

Eallin / Life (1996)[link]

(recorded live)

1. Mielahisvuohta (State of Mind Where Your Intellect Is Disconnected)
2. Dás Áiggun Čuožžut (Within Myself)
3. Orbina (The Orphan)
4. Gula Gula (Hear The Voices of the Foremothers)
5. Modjás Katrin (Katrin Who Smiles)
6. Eco (Echo)
7. Skádja (Reverberation)
8. Vuolgge Mu Mielde Bassivárrái (Come with Me to the Sacred Mountain)
9. It Šat Duolmma Mu (Free)
10. Dutjne (To You)

Bálvvoslatjna / Room of Worship (1998)[link]

1. Eallin (Life)
2. Beaivvi Nieida (Daughter Of Sun)
3. Risten
4. Eagle Man / Changing Woman (Girdi Olmmái / Geaidi Nissun)
5. Álddagasat Ipmilat (Gods Of Nature)
6. Oarjjabeal Beaivvi Ja Mánu (West Of Moon And Sun)
7. Mu Váhkar Lásse (My Youngest)
8. Alit Go Buot Várit (Higher Than All Mountains)
9. Don It Galgan (Thou Shalt Not)
10. Etno Jenny (Ethno Jenny)

Winter in Moscow (2001)[link]

(Mari Boine with Inna Zhelannaya and Sergey Starostin)

1. Dás Áiggun Cuožžut (Here Will I Stand)
2. Pjesna Ljesorubov (Song Of The Lumberjacks)
3. Korridorsangen (The Corridor Song)
4. Sjestra Maja Notsj (The Night Is My Sister)
5. Vozlje Tvojej Ljobvi (Near Your Love)
6. Odinotsjestvo-Sestritsa (Sister Loneliness)
7. Roahkkadit Rohtte Luodi, Mánázan (Joik With Pride, My Child!)
8. Balada O Gorje (Ballad Of Grief)

Gávcci Jahkejuogu / Eight Seasons (2002)[link]

1. Boađan Nuppi Bealde (I Come From The Other Side)
2. Song For The Unborn (Reagákeahtes)
3. Sáráhka Viina (Sáráhka's Wine)
4. Guovssahasaid Ájagáttis (By The Source Of Aurora B)
5. Sielu Dálkkas (Soul Medicine)
6. Mu Váibmu Vádjul Doppe (Hymn)
7. Butterfly (Beaivelottáš)
8. Liegga Gokčas Sis' (In A Blanket Of Warmth)
9. It Dieđe (You Never Know)
10. Duottar Rássi (Tundra Flower)
11. Silba Várjala (Let Silver Protect)
12. Bottoža Dáhtun (Give Me A Break)

Idjagieđas / I Nattens Hand / In the Hand of the Night (2006)[link]

1. Vuoi Vuoi Mu (Vuoi Vuoi Me)
2. Idjagieđas (In the Hand of the Night)
3. Suoivva (The Shadow)
4. Gos Bat Munno Čiŋat Leat? (Where Did All Our Colours Go?)
5. Mu Ustit, Eŋgeliid Sogalaš (My Friend of Angel Tribe)
6. Davvi Bávttiin (On the Fells of the North)
7. Lottáš (Little Bird)
8. Diamántta Spáillit (Reindeer of Diamond)
9. Geasuha (Irresistible)
10. Áfruvvá (The Mermaid)
11. Uldda Nieida (Uldda Girl)
12. Big Medicine (Fápmodálkkas)

Kautokeino-opprøret (2008)[link]

Soundtrack from the film Kautokeino-opprøret.

1. Elen Skum
2. Válddi vuoigna (The Spirit of Power)
3. Deaivideapmi (Confrontation)
4. Doaivut ja vuoimmehuvvat (Hope and Defeat)

Čuovgga Áirras / Sterna Paradisea (2009)[link]

1. Lene Májjá
2. Ipmiliin hálešteapmi (Conversation with God)
3. Soagŋosilbbat (Courting Jewellery)
4. Soria Moria Palássa (Soria Moria Palace)
5. Čuovgga áirras (Sterna Paradisea)
6. Claudiinna lávlla (Claudine's Song)
7. Skealbma (The Mischievous)
8. Iđitveiggodettin (Dawn)
9. De mana, ráhkásan (For My Daughter)
10. Lihkahusat (Entranced)
11. Go idja nuossala (When Night Is Almost Done)

Also appears on[link]

• Beginner's Guide to Scandinavia 3CD set (2011)
• One World One Voice

With Jan Garbarek

• Twelve Moons (ECM, 1992)
• Visible World (ECM, 1995)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mari Boine

• mariboine.no Official homepage
• Mari Boine on Myspace
• Mari Boine's entry at the Music Information Centre Norway
• Mari Boine interview at allaboutjazz

Jose Mari Chan (born March 11, 1945) is a Chinese Filipino singer, songwriter and businessman in the sugar industry. He was born in Iloilo City on March 11, 1945. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1967.^[1] He is married to Mary Ann Ansaldo^[2] and has five children, Jose Antonio, Elizabeth Ann, Michael Philip Ciprian, Francisco Rafael and Marie Angelica. Chan also engage in business in addition to his musical career. He is currently Chairman and CEO of BISCOM, Inc. and A. Chan Sugar Corporation. He is also the Chairman and President of Signature Music Inc.

Musical Career[link]

He first appeared on the local scene as the Host & Singer of a Television show called "9 Teeners" of ABS-CBN in 1966. His first single Afterglow was released in 1967.^[3] His first long playing album "Deep in My Heart (album)" was issued in 1969. In 1973 he represented the Philippines in the World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo where his song "Can We Just Stop and Talk A While" went into the final entries.^[4]

In 1975 he moved to the United States for his sugar business and remained there for 11 years. In 1986, he went back to the music industry with the release of his album A Golden Change.^[3]

In 1989, he released his album "Constant Change".^[3] It was named Album of the Year by the Awit Awards, the local equivalent of the American Grammy Awards and reached the Diamond Record in terms of sales. It also sold in other Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

In 1990 his Christmas album "Christmas in Our Hearts" was released.^[3] It reached triple platinum status that same year, eventually earning the Double Diamond Record Award. His 2001 album "A Heart's Journey" won Album of the year in the Awit Awards.

In 2005 he composed "We're All Just One" as the theme song of the 2005 Southeast Asian Games.^[5]

In 2011, he released his 13th full length album, The Manhattan Connection: The Songs of Jose Mari Chan. The album, which was produced by Janis Siegel of The Manhattan Transfer. The songs were reimagined by music producer Yaron Gershovsky.^[6]

Awards[link]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• Deep in My Heart (1969)
• Can We Just Stop and Talk a While (1973)
• Afterthoughts (1974)
• Here and Now (1975)
• A Golden Collection (1985)
• Constant Change (1989) - 2× Diamond
• Christmas in Our Hearts (1990) - 2× Diamond
• Thank You Love (1994)
• Souvenirs (1998)
• A Heart's Journey (2001) - Awit Awards, Album of the Year
• Strictly Commercial: The Jingles Collection (1997)
• Love Letters and Other Souvenirs (2007)
• The Manhattan Connection" (2011)

Singles[link]

• Beautiful Girl
• Can We Just Stop and Talk A while
• Christmas In Our Hearts
• A Perfect Christmas
• Please Be Careful with My Heart
• Can't We Start Over Again
• Constant Change
• Is She Thinking About Me?
• If We Only Had More Time Together
• Easier Said Than Done
• Love At Thirty Thousand Feet
• My Girl, My Woman, My Friend
• Perhaps Love (with his daughter Liza Chan)
• So I'll Go
• Here and Now
• We're All Just One (2005 SEA Games Theme)
• Afraid for Love to Fade
• Counterpoint to Lennon & McCartney's "Here, There & Everywhere"
• Big Beautiful Country
• Love At 30,000 Feet
• Refrain
• Tell Me Your Name
• Good Old Fashioned Romance
• A Love to Last a Lifetime
• Afterglow
• Deep In My Heart
• Leave You
• High and Mighty
• Night Time
• Mr. Songwriter
• Sing Me Your Song Again, Daddy
• No Rewind, No Replay
• The Sound of Life
• Empty Space

Collaborations[link]

• Gold Ito! (Dyna Music, 1988)
• Ginintuang Diwa ng Pasko (Universal Records, 1989)
• Maayong Pasko (Universal Records, 1990)
• Presence (Universal Records 2002)
• Only Selfless Love 2 (Universal Records, 2003)
• Something More (JesCom Music, 2004)
• Best of OPM Love Songs (Universal Records, 2005)
• Best of OPM Acoustic Hits (Universal Records, 2005)
• OPM Gold Christmas (Universal Records, 2006)
• OPM Superstars Christmas (Universal Records, 2006)
• Sail On...His Most Holy Face (Universal Records, 2006)
• OPM Platinum Christmas (Universal Records, 2007)
• HOPE... Healing Of Pain and Enlightenment (Star Records, 2007)
• No. 1 Signature Hits OPM's Best (Vicor Music Corp., 2008)
• Senti 18 Pinoy Love Hits (Vicor Music Corp., 2008)
• Bongga! (The Biggest Retro OPM Hits) (Universal Records, 2008)
• Bongga 2 (The Biggest Retro OPM Hits) (Universal Records, 2009)
• Paalam, Maraming Salamat Pres. Aquino (A Memorial Tribute Soundtrack) (Star Records, 2009)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Planet Philippines feature - Jose Mari Chan

Benigno Simeon "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr.^[2][3][4][5] (November 27, 1932 – August 21, 1983) was a Filipino Senator and a former Governor of Tarlac. Aquino, together with Gerry Roxas and Jovito Salonga, formed the leadership of the opposition to the Marcos regime in the years leading to the imposition of martial law in the Philippines. In 1973 he was arrested and incarcerated for 7 years, but was allowed to depart for the United States to seek medical treatment after he suffered a heart attack in 1980. He was assassinated at the Manila International Airport upon returning home from exile in the United States in 1983. His death catapulted his widow, Corazon Aquino, into the limelight, and prompted her to run for President as a member of the UNIDO party in the 1986 elections. Manila International Airport has been renamed Ninoy Aquino International Airport in his honor, and the anniversary of his death is a national holiday in the Philippines, Ninoy Aquino Day.

Early life and career[link]

Benigno S. Aquino, Jr. was born in Concepcion, Tarlac, to a prosperous family of hacenderos (landlords), original owners of Hacienda Tinang, Hacienda Lawang and Hacienda Murcia.^{[citation needed]}

His grandfather, Servillano Aquino, was a general in the revolutionary army of Emilio Aguinaldo.^{[citation needed]}

His father, Benigno S. Aquino, Sr. (1894–1947) was a prominent member of the World War II Japanese collaborationist government of José P. Laurel, as Vice-President. In fact, his father once occupied the Arlegui Mansion guest house, originally owned by the Spanish-Filipino Laperal family of Manila and Baguio, the same house that his wife Cory Aquino used as private quarters during her presidency and the same house his son Noynoy Aquino candidly refused for having "too many memories". His father was one of two politicians representing Tarlac during his lifetime. The other was Jose Cojuangco, father of his future wife. His mother, Doña Aurora Aquino-Aquino, was also his father's third cousin. His father died while Ninoy was in his teens prior to coming to trial on treason charges resulting from his collaboration with the Japanese during the occupation.^{[citation needed]}

Aquino was educated in private schools—St. Joseph's College, Ateneo de Manila, National University, and De La Salle College. He finished high school at San Beda College. Aquino took his tertiary education at the Ateneo de Manila to obtain a Bachelor of Arts degree, but he interrupted his studies.^[6] According to one of his biographies, he considered himself to be an average student; his grade was not in the line of 90s nor did it fall into the 70s. At age 17, he was the youngest war correspondent to cover the Korean War for the newspaper The Manila Times of Joaquin "Chino" Roces. Because of his journalistic feats, he received the Philippine Legion of Honor award from President Elpidio Quirino at age 18. At 21, he became a close adviser to then defense secretary Ramon Magsaysay. Aquino took up law at the University of the Philippines, where he became a member of Upsilon Sigma Phi, the same fraternity as Ferdinand Marcos. He interrupted his studies again however to pursue a career in journalism. According to Maximo Soliven, Aquino "later 'explained' that he had decided to go to as many schools as possible, so that he could make as many new friends as possible."^[6] In early 1954, he was appointed by President Ramon Magsaysay, his wedding sponsor to his 1953 wedding at the Our Lady of Sorrows church in Pasay with Corazon Cojuangco, to act as personal emissary to Luis Taruc, leader of the Hukbalahap rebel group. After four months of negotiations, he was credited for Taruc's unconditional surrender.^{[citation needed]}

He became mayor of Concepcion in 1955 at the age of 22.^{[citation needed]}

Political career[link]

Aquino gained an early familiarity with Philippine politics, as he was born into one of the Philippines' prominent oligarchic clans. His grandfather served under President Aguinaldo, while his father held office under Presidents Quezon and Jose P. Laurel. As a consequence, Aquino able to be elected mayor when he was 22 years old. Five years later, he was elected the nation's youngest vice-governor at 27, despite having no real executive experience. Two years later he became governor of Tarlac province in 1961 at age 29, then secretary-general of the Liberal Party in 1966. In 1967 he became the youngest elected senator in the country's history at age 34.^{[citation needed]}

In 1968, during his first year as senator, Aquino alleged that Marcos was on the road to establishing "a garrison state" by "ballooning the armed forces budget", saddling the defense establishment with "overstaying generals" and "militarizing our civilian government offices"—all these caveats were uttered barely four years before martial law, as was typical of the accusatory style of political confrontation at the time. However, no evidence was ever produced for any of these statements.^{[citation needed]}

Aquino became known as a constant critic of the Marcos regime, as his flamboyant rhetoric had made him a darling of the media. His most polemical speech, "A Pantheon for Imelda", was delivered on February 10, 1969. He assailed the Cultural Center, the first project of First Lady Imelda Marcos as extravagant, and dubbed it "a monument to shame" and labelled its designer "a megalomaniac, with a penchant to captivate". By the end of the day, the country's broadsheets had blared that he labelled the President's wife, his cousin Paz's former ward, and a woman he had once courted, "the Philippines' Eva Peron". President Marcos is said to have been outraged and labelled Aquino "a congenital liar". The First Lady's friends angrily accused Aquino of being "ungallant". These so-called "fiscalization" tactics of Aquino quickly became his trademark in the Senate.^{[citation needed]}

Martial law, hunger strike[link]

It was not until the Plaza Miranda bombing however—on August 21, 1971, 12 years to the day before Aquino's own assassination—that the pattern of direct confrontation between Marcos and Aquino emerged. At 9:15 pm, at the kick-off rally of the Liberal Party, the candidates had formed a line on a makeshift platform and were raising their hands as the crowd applauded. The band played, a fireworks display drew all eyes, when suddenly there were two loud explosions that obviously were not part of the show. In an instant the stage became a scene of wild carnage. The police later discovered two fragmentation grenades that had been thrown at the stage by "unknown persons". Eight people died, and 120 others were wounded, many critically. Aquino was absent at the incident.^{[citation needed]}

Although suspicions pointed to the Nacionalistas (the political party of Marcos), Marcos allies sought to deflect this by insinuating that, perhaps, Aquino might have had a hand in the blast in a bid to eliminate his potential rivals within the party. Later, the Marcos government presented "evidence" of the bombings as well as an alleged threat of a communist insurgency, suggesting that the bombings were the handiwork of the growing New People's Army. Marcos made this a pretext to suspend the right of habeas corpus, vowed that the killers would be apprehended within 48 hours, and arrested a score of known "Maoists" on general principle. Ironically, the police captured one of the bombers, who was identified as a sergeant of the firearms and explosive section of the Philippine Constabulary, a military arm of the government. According to Aquino, this man was later snatched from police custody by military personnel and never seen again.^{[citation needed]}

President Marcos declared martial law on September 21, 1972 and he went on air to broadcast his declaration on midnight of September 23. Aquino was one of the first to be arrested and imprisoned on trumped-up charges of murder, illegal possession of firearms and subversion. He was tried before Military Commission No. 2 headed by Major-General Jose Syjuco. On April 4, 1975, Aquino announced that he was going on a hunger strike, a fast to the death to protest the injustices of his military trial. Ten days through his hunger strike, he instructed his lawyers to withdraw all motions he had submitted to the Supreme Court. As weeks went by, he subsisted solely on salt tablets, sodium bicarbonate, amino acids, and two glasses of water a day. Even as he grew weaker, suffering from chills and cramps, soldiers forcibly dragged him to the military tribunal's session. His family and hundreds of friends and supporters heard Mass nightly at the Santuario de San Jose in Greenhills, San Juan, praying for his survival. Near the end, Aquino's weight had dropped from 54 to 36 kilos. Aquino nonetheless was able to walk throughout his ordeal. On May 13, 1975, on the 40th day, his family and several priests and friends, begged him to end his fast, pointing out that even Christ fasted only for 40 days. He acquiesced, confident that he had made a symbolic gesture. But he remained in prison, and the trial continued, drawn out for several years. On November 25, 1977, the Commission found Aquino guilty of all charges and sentenced him to death by firing squad.^{[citation needed]}

1978 elections, bypass surgery, exile[link]

In 1978, from his prison cell, he was allowed to take part in the elections for Interim Batasang Pambansa (Parliament). Although his friends, former Senators Gerry Roxas and Jovito Salonga, preferred to boycott the elections, Aquino urged his supporters to organize and run 21 candidates in Metro Manila. Thus his political party, dubbed Lakas ng Bayan ("People's Power"), was born. The party's acronym was "LABAN" (in Tagalog). He was allowed one television interview on Face the Nation (hosted by Ronnie Nathanielsz) and proved to a startled and impressed populace that imprisonment had neither dulled his rapier-like tongue nor dampened his fighting spirit. Foreign correspondents and diplomats asked what would happen to the LABAN ticket. People agreed with him that his party would win overwhelmingly in an honest election. Not surprisingly, all his candidates lost due to widespread election fraud.^{[citation needed]}

In mid-March 1980, Aquino suffered a heart attack, possibly the result of seven years in prison, mostly in a solitary cell. He was transported to the Philippine Heart Center, where he suffered a second heart attack. ECG and other tests showed that he had a blocked artery. Philippine surgeons were reluctant to do a coronary bypass, because it could involve them in a controversy. In additional, Aquino refused to submit himself to Philippine doctors, fearing possible Marcos "duplicity"; he preferred to go to the United States for the procedure or return to his cell at Fort Bonifacio and die. He also appeared in the 700 Club television ministry of Pat Robertson, where he narrated his spiritual life, accepted "Christ as his Lord and Savior" and became a born-again Christian, which sprang from a conversation with Charles Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship, who was involved in the Watergate Scandal during U.S. President Richard Nixon's administration.^{[citation needed]}

On May 8, 1980, Imelda Marcos made an unannounced visit to Aquino at his hospital room. She asked him if he would like to leave that evening for the U.S., but not before agreeing on two conditions: 1) that if he left, he would return; 2) while in the U.S., he would not speak out against the Marcos regime. She then ordered General Fabian Ver and Mel Mathay to provide passports and plane tickets for the Aquino family. Aquino was placed in a closed van, rushed to his home on Times Street to pack, driven to the airport and put on a plane bound for the U.S. that same day, accompanied by his family.^{[citation needed]}

Aquino was operated on at a hospital in Dallas, Texas. He made a quick recovery, was walking within two weeks and making plans to fly to Damascus, Syria to meet with Muslim leaders, which he did five weeks later. When he reiterated that he was returning to the Philippines, he received a surreptitious message from the Marcos government saying that he was now granted an extension of his "medical furlough". Eventually, Aquino decided to renounce his two covenants with Malacañang "because of the dictates of higher national interest". After all, Aquino added, "a pact with the devil is no pact at all".^{[citation needed]}

Aquino spent three years in self-exile, living with his family in Newton, a suburb of Boston, Massachusetts. On fellowship grants from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he worked on the manuscripts of two books and gave a series of lectures in school halls, classrooms and auditoriums. He traveled extensively in the U.S., delivering speeches critical of the Marcos government.^{[citation needed]}

Planning return[link]

Throughout his years of expatriation, Aquino was always aware that his life in the U.S. was temporary. He never stopped affirming his eventual return even as he enjoyed American hospitality and a peaceful life with his family on American soil. After spending 7 years and 7 months in prison, Aquino's finances were in ruins. Making up for the lost time as the family's breadwinner, he toured America; attending symposiums, lectures, and giving speeches in freedom rallies opposing the Marcos dictatorship. The most memorable was held at the Wilshire Ebell Theater in Los Angeles, California on February 15, 1981.^[7]

In the first quarter of 1983, Aquino received news about the deteriorating political situation in his country and the rumored declining health of President Marcos (due to lupus). He believed that it was expedient for him to speak to Marcos and present to him his rationale for the country's return to democracy, before extremists took over and made such a change impossible. Moreover, his years of absence made his allies worry that the Filipinos might have resigned themselves to Marcos' strongman rule and that without his leadership the centrist opposition would die a natural death.^{[citation needed]}

Aquino decided to go back to the Philippines, fully aware of the dangers that awaited him. Warned that he would either be imprisoned or killed, Aquino answered, "if it's my fate to die by an assassin's bullet, so be it. But I cannot be petrified by inaction, or fear of assassination, and therefore stay in the side..."^[8] His family, however, learned from a Philippine Consulate official that there were orders from Ministry of Foreign Affairs not to issue any passports for them. At that time, their visas had expired and their renewal had been denied. They therefore formulated a plan for Aquino to fly alone (to attract less attention), with the rest of the family to follow him after two weeks. Despite the government's ban on issuing him a passport, Aquino acquired one with the help of Rashid Lucman, a former Mindanao legislator and founder of the Bangsamoro Liberation Front, a Moro separatist group against Marcos. It carried the alias Marcial Bonifacio (Marcial for martial law and Bonifacio for Fort Bonifacio, his erstwhile prison).^[9] He eventually obtained a legitimate passport from a sympathizer working in a Philippine consulate through the help of Roque R. Ablan Jr, then a Congressman. The Marcos government warned all international airlines that they would be denied landing rights and forced to return if they tried to fly Aquino to the Philippines. Aquino insisted that it was his natural right as a citizen to come back to his homeland, and that no government could prevent him from doing so. He left Logan International Airport on August 13, 1983, took a circuitous route home from Boston, via Los Angeles to Singapore. In Singapore, then Tunku Ibrahim Ismail of Johor met Aquino upon his arrival in Singapore and later brought him to Johor to meet with other Malaysian leaders.^[10] Once in Johor, Aquino met up with Tunku Ibrahim's father, Sultan Iskandar, who was a close friend to Aquino.^[11]

He then left for Hong Kong and on to Taipei. He had chosen Taipei as the final stopover when he learned the Philippines had severed diplomatic ties with the Republic of China (Taiwan). This made him feel more secure; the Taiwan authorities could pretend they were not aware of his presence. There would also be a couple of Taiwanese friends accompanying him. From Taipei he flew to Manila on China Airlines Flight 811.^{[citation needed]}

Marcos wanted Aquino to stay out of politics, however Aquino asserted his willingness to suffer the consequences declaring, "the Filipino is worth dying for."^[12] He wished to express an earnest plea for Marcos to step down, for a peaceful regime change and a return to democratic institutions. Anticipating the worst, at an interview in his suite at the Taipei Grand Hotel, he revealed that he would be wearing a bullet-proof vest, but he also said that "it's only good for the body, but for the head there's nothing else we can do." Sensing his own doom, he told the journalists accompanying him on the flight, "You have to be ready with your hand camera because this action can become very fast. In a matter of 3 or 4 minutes it could be all over, and I may not be able to talk to you again after this."^[13] In his last formal statement that he wasn't able to deliver, he said, "I have returned to join the ranks of those struggling to restore our rights and freedom through violence. I seek no confrontation."

Assassination[link]

Aquino was assassinated on August 21, 1983 when he was shot in the head after returning to the country. At the time, bodyguards were assigned to him by the Marcos government. A subsequent investigation produced controversy but no definitive results. After the Marcos government was overthrown, another investigation found sixteen defendants guilty. They were all sentenced to life in prison. Over the years, some were released, and the last one was let out in March 2009.^{[citation needed]}

Another man present at the airport tarmac, Rolando Galman, was shot dead shortly after Aquino was killed. The Marcos government claimed Galman was the triggerman in Aquino's assassination.

Funeral[link]

Sen. Ninoy Aquino's grave (right) is next to his wife Corazon Aquino's (left) at the Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque, Philippines.

Aquino's body lay in state in a glass coffin. No effort was made to disguise a bullet wound that had disfigured his face. In an interview with Aquino's mother, Aurora, she told the funeral parlor not to apply makeup nor embalm her son, to see "what they did to my son". Thousands of supporters flocked to see the bloodied body of Aquino, which took place at the Aquino household in Times St., Quezon City for nine days. Aquino's wife, Corazon Aquino, and children Ballsy, Pinky, Viel, Noynoy and Kris arrived the day after the assassination. Aquino's funeral procession on August 31 lasted from 9 a.m., when his funeral mass was held at Santo Domingo Church in Santa Mesa Heights, Quezon City, with the Cardinal Archbishop of Manila, Jaime Sin officiating, to 9 p.m., when his body was interred at the Manila Memorial Park. More than two million people lined the streets during the procession which was aired by the Church-sponsored Radio Veritas, the only station to do so. The procession reached Rizal Park, where the Philippine flag was brought to half-staff.^{[citation needed]}

Jovito Salonga, then head of the Liberal Party, said about Aquino:

Ninoy was getting impatient in Boston, he felt isolated by the flow of events in the Philippines. In early 1983, Marcos was seriously ailing, the Philippine economy was just as rapidly declining, and insurgency was becoming a serious problem. Ninoy thought that by coming home he might be able to persuade Marcos to restore democracy and somehow revitalize the Liberal Party.^[14]

and called him "the greatest president we never had"^[14]

Legacy[link]

In Senator Aquino's honor, the Manila International Airport (MIA) where he was assassinated was renamed Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and his image is printed on the 500-peso bill. August 21, the anniversary of his death, is Ninoy Aquino Day, an annual public holiday in the Philippines.^[15] Several monuments were built in his honor. Most renowned is the bronze memorial in Makati City near the Philippine Stock Exchange, which has become a popular venue for anti-government rallies and large demonstrations. Another bronze statue is in front of the Municipal Building of Concepcion, Tarlac.^{[citation needed]}

Although Aquino was recognized as the most prominent and most dynamic opposition leader of his generation, in the years prior to martial law he was regarded by many as being a representative of the entrenched familial elite which to this day dominates Philippine politics. While atypically telegenic and uncommonly articulate, he had his share of detractors and was not known to be immune to ambitions and excesses of the ruling political class.^{[citation needed]} However, during his seven years and seven months imprisoned as a political prisoner of Marcos, Aquino read the book Born Again by convicted Watergate conspirator Charles Colson and it inspired him to a religious awakening.^[16]

As a result, the remainder of his personal and political life had a distinct spiritual sheen. He emerged as a contemporary counterpart of Jose Rizal, who was among the world's earliest proponents of the use of non-violence to combat a repressive regime. Some remained skeptical of Aquino's redirected spiritual focus, but it ultimately had an effect on his wife's political career. While some may question the prominence given Aquino in Philippine history, it was his assassination that was pivotal to the downfall of a despotic ruler and the eventual restoration of democracy in the Philippines.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life[link]

On October 11, 1954, he married Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco, with whom he had five children (four daughters and a son):^{[citation needed]}

• Maria Elena Aquino-Cruz (Ballsy, born August 18, 1955), married to Eldon Cruz, sons Justin Benigno "Jiggy" Cruz and Eldon "Jonty" Cruz, Jr.
• Aurora Corazon Aquino-Abellada (Pinky, born December 27, 1957), married to Manuel Abellada, son Miguel Abellada, daughter Nina Abellada
• Benigno Simeon Aquino III (Noynoy, born February 8, 1960), the 15th and current President of the Philippines
• Victoria Elisa Aquino-Dee (Viel, born October 27, 1961), married to Joseph Dee, son Francis "Kiko" Dee, daughter Jacinta Patricia "Jia" Dee
• Kristina Bernadette Aquino (Kris, born February 14, 1971), married to James Yap (2005–2010), sons Joshua Philip "Josh" Aquino Salvador and James "Baby James/Bimby" Aquino Yap, Jr.

Ancestry[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

	Philippines portal
	Biography portal

v t e Corazon Cojuangco–Aquino 11th President of the Philippines Family Benigno S. Aquino, Jr. (husband) Benigno S. Aquino III (son) Maria Elena Cruz (daughter) Aurora Corazon Abellada (daughter) Victoria Elisa Dee (daughter) Kristina Bernadette Aquino (daughter) Jose Cojuangco (father) Demetria Sumulong (mother) Eduardo Cojuangco (uncle) Eduardo Cojuangco, Jr. (cousin) Jose Cojuangco, Jr. (brother) Josephine C. Reyes (sister) Mark Cojuangco (nephew) Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski (niece) Education College of Mount Saint Vincent Presidency 1986 Snap elections EDSA Revolution Operation Big Bird 1987 Philippine Constitution Family Code Local Government and Administrative Codes Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program 1986-87 Coup attempts 1989 civil unrest 1990 Luzon earthquake Tropical Storm Uring Supertyphoon Sisang MV Doña Paz PR 206 crash 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption Post-presidency 1992 elections 1998 elections 2004 elections 2005 electoral crisis 2007 elections Death and memorial service Predecessor: Ferdinand Marcos, 10th President of the Philippines Successor: Fidel V. Ramos, 11th President of the Philippines

v t e Benigno S. Aquino III 15th President of the Philippines Family Benigno S. Aquino, Jr. (father) Corazon C. Aquino (mother) Maria Elena Cruz (sister) Aurora Corazon Abellada (sister) Victoria Elisa Dee (sister) Kristina Bernadette Aquino (sister) Benigno S. Aquino, Sr. (grandfather) Servillano Aquino (great-grandfather) Herminio Aquino (granduncle) Lupita Aquino-Kashiwahara (aunt) Paul Aquino (uncle) Butz Aquino (uncle) Tessie Aquino-Oreta (aunt) Jackie Aquino (cousin) Bam Aquino (cousin) Education Ateneo de Manila University Political career Liberal Party Representative from Tarlac's 2nd District Senate Presidency Death and funeral of Corazon Aquino Aquino-Roxas 2010 Aquino-Binay 2010 2010 Elections Transition Inauguration Inaugural address SONA (2010) 2010 Manila hostage crisis Reproductive Health Bill Extrajudicial killings Impeachment of Merceditas Gutierrez Impeachment of Renato Corona Typhoon Sendong Negros earthquake Related House of Representatives of the Philippines Senators of the Philippines Noy (film) Noynoying Predecessor: Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, 14th President of the Philippines