Accompanied by a certificate issued by Ms. Gisella
Olmedo Araneta confirming the authenticity of this lot

Provenance:
A gift from the artist to Mr. Caloy Gabuco

ABOUT THE WORK

Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr. was one of the leading opposition figures during the turbulent Martial Law era. As a staunch critic of the dictatorship, Ninoy emerged as an icon of the struggle against tyranny. After the imposition of martial law, Ninoy was among the first to be arrested on trumped-up charges of murder, illegal possession of firearms, and violations of the Anti-Subversion Act. In November 1977, Ninoy was sentenced to death by firing squad. However, Marcos delayed his execution due to international pressure over his regime's rampant human rights violations. Later, he would allow him to travel to the United States with his family to seek treatment after a heart attack in 1980. While in America, Ninoy attended symposiums and lectures and gave speeches in freedom rallies opposing the dictatorship. He returned to the Philippines on August 21, 1983, in hopes of persuading Marcos for a peaceful transition to democracy. Before he could even set foot on the tarmac of the Manila International Airport, Ninoy was assassinated. His death transformed the opposition movement into a national crusade, eventually culminating in the People Power Revolution of 1986. Created in 1986, a critical juncture in our nation's history, Olmedo depicts Ninoy in his trademark glasses. The intensity of the color yellow encapsulates our collective struggle against the dictatorship. Through this piece, Olmedo instills to the present generation that a revolution is an unabating endeavor, proving once and for all that "the Filipino is worth dying for"