Palace, Atom find common cause: Call out Robin Padilla

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang and the civil society group August Twenty-One Movement (Atom) on Thursday called out Sen. Robinhood Padilla for equating pseudonyms used by Filipino patriots with the odd-sounding “aliases” found on the receipts for the confidential funds used by the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

Palace press officer Claire Castro said the two situations were fundamentally different, pointing out that Filipino revolutionaries used fake names while fighting for their countrymen, while the people identified by aliases in the OVP receipts were allegedly paid for providing information.

“Heroes of the past likely fought for the country without expecting payment. However, informants of today appear unwilling to act without compensation,” Castro said.

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“The heroes of that time, even if they used pseudonyms, were known to be real people. In the receipts presented now, we do not know whether these are real people or whether they are fictitious or ‘ghost’ beneficiaries,” she added.

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Padilla, during the 19th day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday, reminded private prosecutor Mae Divinagracia that even heroes and revolutionaries used aliases in their time.

He also quizzed Divinagracia about her knowledge of the alias “Marcial Bonifacio.”

READ: Padilla to stay silent rather than hit back at Adiong over alias issue

‘Mocking’ Ninoy memory

The senator said the prosecution was seemingly making the unusual names in the acknowledgement receipts a laughing matter.

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These names include Mary Grace Piattos, Antonio Pagong, Timon Andrew Pusa, Don Piang, Shane Ngitngit, Xuniso P. Bela, and May Pamana.

“This is what the prosecution was presenting: that there are funny names here […] but the aliases of the people in history are funnier. And one more thing, do you know Marcial Bonifacio?” Padilla asked.

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He was referring to the name adopted by Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. in 1983 to evade the dictatorship’s efforts to stop his return to the country and continue his struggle for democracy.

READ: Padilla says Ninoy himself used alias; but Bam Aquino says he had no CF

Castro said she was not in a position to judge the remarks of Padilla, who, she added had the right to his own views.

“But we also need to show the truth so that our young people will not be misled about the actual role our heroes played. They may have used pseudonyms, but not to hide payment,” she said.

Atom, meanwhile, said Padilla was “mocking the memory and the good name of the person who is one of the major reasons he and all of us can speak and move freely without fear of arrest or oppression.”

Atom was a political organization founded in August 1983 shortly after Aquino’s assassination during the Marcos dictatorship.

“We remind Senator Padilla that our heroes of yesterday, including Rizal, Marcelo del Pilar, Emilio Jacinto, Graciano Lopez-Jaena, among others, used aliases to fight for our freedom, for justice, and to win our rights for the people, not to misuse public funds and abuse power,” said Atom in a statement.

“Freedom is not free, Mr. Senator; before all of us were able to enjoy freedom, other individuals had to sacrifice their lives, and that is why we consider them heroes of our land,” it added.

In a separate statement, academic research organization Project Gunita also rebuked the senator, saying Aquino’s alias “symbolized bravery and martyrdom, and a yearning to come home.”

Do ‘proper research’

“Ninoy did not need millions in confidential funds to ascertain that he was about to commit a huge gamble once he stepped off that aircraft,” it said.

It noted that political allies, such as Salvador Laurel and Eva Estrada-Kalaw, warned Aquino about rumors that he would be killed if he came home, prompting him to conceal his return by traveling under the pseudonym “Marcial Bonifacio” on a fake passport.

The name was derived from martial law and Fort Bonifacio, where Aquino was imprisoned for nearly eight years.

“Did it work? History will tell you the answer. Nevertheless, despite the clear risks against his own life, Ninoy Aquino decided to come home, even in the face of a certain public execution,” Project Gunita said.

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“Google is free. We suggest to the good senator, or his office, to make use of the internet and do their proper research,” it added.