Some Bits of Trivia Concerning Ninoy Aquino

* Benigno "Ninoy" S. Aquino, Jr. would have been eighty years old today, November 27, if he were not assassinated on August 21, 1983. Aquino's assassination is said to be a major factor in the People Power Revolution that ousted President Ferdinand E. Marcos in 1986.

* Ninoy has the same birthday as Bruce Lee, who was born in 1940. They died ten years apart: Lee in 1973, Aquino in 1983.

* In the 1987 elections,  Agapito "Butz" Aquino, Ninoy's brother, successfully ran for senator. His campaign jingle goes like this: "Butz, Butz, Butz ... Butz Aquino! Kapatid ni Ninoy, kapatid ng bawat Pilipino!" ("Brother of Ninoy, brother of every Filipino!)

* In 1997, Senator Raul Roco played the role of Ninoy Aquino in the film Ilaban Mo, Bayan Ko! Gov. Obet Pagdanganan Story. In 2010, Piolo Pascual was cast as Ninoy Aquino in a two-part episode of the drama anthology Maalaala Mo Kaya.

Ninoy Aquino's Liking for "Sinigang na Bangus"

According to the GMA News TV documentary Sa Hapag ng mga Bayani, a civilian staff at the Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija was cooking sinigang na bangus (milkfish with tamarind-based broth) regularly for Benigno "Ninoy" S. Aquino, Jr. during his incarceration there in the 1970s.

SOURCE: Web site of GMA Network

As we celebrate the eightieth anniversary of Ninoy Aquino's birth, following is the translated recipe for sinigang na bangus as featured in the said documentary:

Ninoy Aquino in the 500-Peso Banknote

Former Senator Benigno "Ninoy" S. Aquino, Jr. would have been 72 years old today. In both the New Design Series and New Generation Banknote Series versions of the 500-peso bill, Ninoy's face is prominently shown.

The obverse side of the New Design/Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Series 500-peso bill has a pensive Ninoy with his fist touching his chin.  It also recalls Aquino's career as a journalist by showing the typewriter on which the initials "B.S.A.J." is embossed. The famous quote, "The Filipino is worth dying for" also appears along with his signature.

Obverse side of the 500-peso bill, New Design / Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Series

Some milestones in Ninoy's career are also highlighted in the reverse side. Aside from being a Manila Times correspondent during the Korean War, he was elected municipal mayor of Concepcion town then governor of Tarlac province. During his tenure as Senator, Aquino was a proponent of the Study Now, Pay Later program for students needing financial assistance. Everyone knows that his assassination was a prime mover of the 1986 People Power Revolution, so a snippet of this event is also shown. .    

Reverse side of the 500-peso bill, New Design / BSP Series