The Liberal Party of the Philippines (LP) hit out at Senator Alan Peter Cayetano’s use of the L sign, which was used in the fight against dictatorship.
In a statement in Filipino on Saturday evening posted on Facebook, the party said that the sign’s origins came from ordinary Filipinos, and not just from former senator Benigno Aquino, Jr.
“The laban (fight) sign did not originate with Ninoy Aquino. It came from the Filipino people, who united to fight against a dictatorship that sought to suppress freedom and democracy in our institutions, violated human rights, and stole from the nation’s treasury and future. In that struggle, Ninoy Aquino became an inspiration to millions of Filipinos,” the party said in Filipino.
“Ninoy was a hero of the people. He was imprisoned to silence him. He went on a hunger strike to advance the cause he believed in. And in the end, he gave his life to help restore democracy in our country,” they added.
“This is far removed from what you are fighting for today, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano,” the party told the disputed Senate leader.
The party pointed out that Aquino never led efforts to skip legislative sessions, nor did he propose cutting off the Senate’s electricity to obstruct institutional processes, nor did he shelter “suspected killers and plunderers” to help them evade accountability.
“Ninoy was also not obsessed with holding on to power, and he chose to risk his own freedom and life for his principles and for the nation,” they said.
The party said it was a “grave affront” to invoke and compare Aquino in justifying actions that “run contrary to the very values he fought for.”
“Ninoy’s legacy is not about clinging to power. It is about truth, accountability, courage, and sacrifice for democracy… And if there is one lesson Ninoy left us, it is this: the true struggle is not for the powerful—it is for the people,” the party said.
The August Twenty One Movement, named after the date of Aquino’s 1983 assassination, called Cayetano’s comparison to Aquino “delusional”.
