Members of the family of the late Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. visited the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 on Thursday, August 20, to see the historical marker honoring the former senator at its new location.
Led by Aquino’s eldest daughter, Ballsy Aquino-Cruz, the family visited the relocated marker along the improved arrivals curbside, where it now stands directly in front of the repositioned “Ninoy Aquino International Airport” signage on the terminal facade.
"The marker now sits directly in front of the repositioned “Ninoy Aquino International Airport” name on the terminal facade," NAIA wrote in a Facebook post.
New NAIA Infrastructure Corp. (NNIC) President and CEO Ramon S. Ang welcomed the Aquino family and accompanied them to the site ahead of the official commemoration of Aquino’s death anniversary on August 21.
The marker bears the date August 21, 1983, when Aquino was assassinated at the airport shortly after returning to the Philippines from exile in the United States.
Its inscription describes the site as sacred ground where Aquino shed his blood for truth, justice, peace and freedom.
The marker’s new location places it prominently beneath the airport’s name, bringing together the gateway’s identity and the legacy of the former senator whose assassination became a pivotal event in Philippine history.
Aquino was a leading opposition figure during the dictatorship of his father’s namesake, the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. His assassination on August 21, 1983, sparked widespread public outrage and became a key event that eventually led to the 1986 People Power Revolution.
The Aquino family’s visit came a day before Ninoy Aquino Day, which is being commemorated on Friday, August 21, 2026, as a special non-working national holiday.
The National Historical Commission of the Philippines is set to lead the official commemoration at NAIA.
