As a ruler, Ninoy was and is a lover of justice. This is evident in his undying effort to bring our country in order, ideally at least. Although he was never given a chance to rule our country formally as a president, his fiery words against the dictator have opened the consciousness of the Filipinos and of the world to the reality that justice is only possible if freedom shall be given to people. In freedom, man can exercise his rights guided by his capacity to affect the lives of other people in a positive and humane way. But how can a man be free if he is tied with little opportunity to witness and experience all that is due to him? And isn’t it inhuman if someone is holding the power to rule over his country even without considering their rights as a people? According to Ninoy, “We must teach our people to respond, not merely to react. We must tell them, to the point of being repetitious – we must criticize to be free because we are free only when we crtiticize.” Attaining freedom and justice for the benefit of others was never easy. In the case of Ninoy, freedom and justice somehow was delivered to people shortly after his death. His bravery in facing death for others to live has become a reality, and it has benefited us all. I believe that freedom and justice are important values that every ruler should advocate. If the ruler is virtuous enough in leading people to freedom and justice in exchange of his own life, people will love him even after death.

We all desire to have a world free from injustice and bondage. We choose people whom we believe are capable of pursuing our common aspirations and goals. I know it is hard to attain what our heroes and forefathers aimed for but I believe that this is possible. It may be hard, demanding and requires a lot of sacrifice but in the words of Ninoy himself he said: “When you sacrifice important things from yourself, you’re not actually giving it away and losing it for no reason at all. You are actually transferring it for the benefit of others.” I was moved by this statement of Ninoy. His sacrifice positively affects all of us who continue to dream, struggle and fight for a better (though imperfect) society. I believe that while we physically lost someone like Ninoy, we actually gained strength, inspiration, faith and undying desire to participate in re-shaping this country into a place which Ninoy once dreamt about.