5 Similarities between the Benigno Aquino Jr. and John F. Kennedy Assassinations

"You have to be ready with your hand camera because this action can become very fast. In a matter of 3 or 4 minutes, it could be all over, and I may not be able to talk to you again after this."

-          Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr.


While watching a documentary on Ninoy Aquino’s death, the following theories came to my mind about the parallelisms between Aquino’s and John F. Kennedy’s deaths.

Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. was a charismatic Philippine senator who became a staunch opponent of Dictator Ferdinand Marcos during the 1970’s and 1980’s.

John F. Kennedy was the first Catholic President of the United States of America. He was elected in 1960.


These are just theories and ideas based on known evidence, documentaries, published and public reports and records.

1. The Lone Gunman Theory - Both Kennedy’s and Aquino’s were killed by so-called lone gunmen. Lee Harvey Oswald for Kennedy and Rolando Galman for Aquino. Both “fall guys” had Communist inklings and were trained by the Military or had Military experience. Both were killed before they could really tell their stories. Galman died at the same time that Aquino was killed. While Oswald was gunned down by Jack Ruby days after his arrest. Both men left a wife and child when they died. Unfortunately, for Galman, even his wife was a casualty of his sins. His wife was picked up by unidentified men months after his death and her body was found abandoned in an isolated farmland.

Further forensic evidence and eyewitness accounts point to the fact that both men did not act alone and that they were part of a larger conspiracy that planned and acted on the assassinations.

2. The Magic Bullet Theory (Single-bullet) – Both Aquino and Kennedy had single headshot wounds that proved fatal. The Magic Bullet Theory also comes into place because upon forensic investigation there was no definite conclusion on where the actual shot was made. There were a lot of conflicting results regarding the angle of the entry level of the shots for both men. And these added to the numerous conspiracy theories that came out.

After being shot, Kennedy was rushed to the hospital and an operation was conducted to try to save his life. For Aquino, the soldiers who picked up his body took 1 hour to reach the Military hospital located in Fort Bonifacio which on a normal day would just be a 15-minute drive from the International Airport where he was shot. He was declared dead on arrival.

3. The Communists Did It – Since Oswald was a known Communist defector, it was brought forward that the Kennedy assassination was their brainchild. For Aquino, it was then Philippine Dictator, Ferdinand Marcos who accused the Communist Party of the Philippines in masterminding the killing of his political opponent. Aquino would not have been harmed by the Communists since he was able to cultivate a relationship with him when he was still a journalist in the 1950's. 

4. The Warren and Agrava Commissions – These commissions were created because of the public clamor to know the truth about the assassinations. When the Agrava Commission submitted their report, they concluded that Aquino’s murder was a Military Conspiracy and recommended the indictments of 16 soldiers. For the Warren Commission, they concluded that Oswald acted alone in the killing of JFK.

5. The Central Intelligence Agency – And the number one reason why the killings would never be truly solved because both assassinations were planned, funded and implemented by the CIA. For Kennedy, they deemed him as a threat to National Security because of his ties to the Mafia, his dalliances with women who also had Mafia connections and his liberal ideas about segregation and communism. Aquino’s death would be the trigger to oust Ferdinand Marcos from power. At that time, there were U.S. Military bases in the Philippines plus a systemic process of eliminating once U.S. friendly dictators, terrorists, and freedom fighters. Another factor that one would add fuel to the fire is that the Marcoses were given sanctuary in Hawaii after their departure from the Philippines.


The videos that you are about to see, show the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Ninoy Aquino.









"We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch - we are going back from whence we came." 

-John F. Kennedy





You might be interested in watching the following documentaries and films:

Ako si Ninoy, GMA News TV

Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr: Revisiting the Assassination Case, Biography Documentary Films

The Assassination of Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr, History Channel

Ninoy Aquino & the Rise of People Power (2009)

The Last Journey of Ninoy (2009)

Beyond Conspiracy: 25 Years after the Aquino Assassination, ABS-CBN Channel

JFK: 3 Shots that Changed America, History Channel

JFK - A Presidency Revealed, History Channel

The Men Who Killed Kennedy, ITV and History Channel

The Lost JFK Tapes The Assassination, National Geographic

American Experience: The Kennedys, PBS

The Kennedy Assassination: 24 Hours After

American Experience: JFK, PBS


Smithsonian Channel: The Day Kennedy Died

JFK (1991), Oliver Stone

Comments

ROBERT LEE said…
Margaux,

Interesting post you made here. While there are similarities, there were also fundamental differences. In the case of Kennedy, there were also theorists who said it was related to the Cuban crisis. In the case of Aquino, there were theorists who says he was killed so Marcos can be ousted.

In both cases, what appears to be true is that there is a larger conspiracy involved. In time, perhaps the truth will be known.
Hi Robert, never thought about the Cuban crisis angle, but I did hear about rumours regarding Ninoy's death as catalyst for Marcos' ouster. Thanks!
Travelerette said…
Interesting information! I had never heard about Benigno Aquino Jr before. That is so sad about his wife. But it's actually quite controversial in the US to say that Kennedy was assassinated by the CIA. Many people don't think that's true.
Denice Diaz said…
Very interesting points you made there. I somehow feel that the last one is up for debate, but I do feel that you have a point there. Both deaths never really was solved up until today which is odd given the advances in technology that we have.
Unknown said…
This is interesting. I never thought that the two has something in common. There are a lot of issues regarding Aquino's death. There are a lot of hearsay about it. Think this issues wouldn't be resolve
That's why I love conspiracy theories. Its intriguing and mysterious. endless debate happens.
Unknown said…
Interesting! I have never really been a fan of politics. But these similarities are quiet eerie. Maybe I should start reading more about Philippine politics hehe.
Anonymous said…
I guess these two will have endless debates if all what happened to them were true or not. I just like the points you have listed here for information purposes. I would love to know the sources of these details/events. :)
Retlync said…
I'm not a fan of politics but I enjoyed reading this post. This is so interesting and informative!

www.retlync.wordpress.com
I believe , crimes like this will never really 100% solved . Or better , they might be solved but the whole truth will never be told . There were so many cases of popular people been killed , not solely politicians and the truth never came out . I believe , that there is no other "business" as dark and dirty like politics . I really never believed that the man who ( so they say )killed Kennedy was an autonomous
killer . Will we ever get to know the truth ?
Maria said…
Weren't Aquino's relatives were the one responsible for this death? I've heard those from professors and teachers. But great parallelism here about the two assassinations.
Maaya Legaspi said…
Such a great comparison. I hope in time, everyone would know the truth behind both killings as it has both made a huge impact in history. What appears to be true now are the never ending conspiracy theories. There are some that appears to be true but without proof and solid evidence, this will just remain a mystery to be solved
berlin said…
Such a great comparison. unfortunately, though, the two cases remain unresolved to many even if they have already pinpointed the murderer. so many generations after them come and go and yet the assassinations remain a mystery.
berlin said…
Such a great comparison. Unfortunately, though, the cases of their murder remain unresolved and many say those pinpointed to have murdered them were accused wrongly. So many generations come and go and yet the assassination remains a mystery. Too sad a fact.
Hi Jessica, I love watching documentaries from National Geographic and The History Channel. And the best conspiracy movie will be Oliver Stone's JFK. For Ninoy, it's harder but the Philippine Daily Inquirer came out with a Martial Law series a few years ago. Thanks!
I also heard about that. But in a documentary Ballsy Aquino said that they don't believe that Danding had anything to do with it. Thanks!
Eventually, when all files or reports from the JFK investigation will be released and then we can finally know who really killed him. It may not be in our lifetime.
Jane said…
A really interesting article.I hope these cases will be solved one day. There are so many conspiracy theories that are related to them. When you have such a big mystery it is a fertile ground for rumors and tales to evolve in.
apple said…
Sometimes if a family members are involved, 1 billion percent the culprit will never be put in jail....it happens so why they should waste their time to find justice...again, the case will neve never be solved unless the family (victims) will tell the truth...