Ninoy Aquino's Grandson Recalls Growing Up with Icon as 'Lolo'

MANILA — For Francis Joseph "Kiko" Aquino Dee, the man whose portrait appears on the Philippine 500-peso note was simply "Lolo"—grandfather—a family member whose presence shaped his childhood rather than a towering historical figure.

Dee was born in 1991, eight years after former Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. was assassinated at Manila International Airport in 1983. Growing up, the younger Aquino encountered an unusual reality when classmates in second grade began asking whether his grandfather was the person depicted on the nation's currency. The questions highlighted the gap between personal family memory and public historical remembrance.

The Aquino family's prominence in Philippine politics and history meant that Dee's connection to Ninoy transcended ordinary family lineage. Ninoy's assassination marked a pivotal moment in the country's political trajectory, eventually contributing to the events that led to the 1986 People Power Revolution and the restoration of democracy.

For Dee, however, childhood recollections centered on more intimate family moments rather than the broader historical significance his grandfather would come to represent. His experience reflects how historical figures are experienced differently by those closest to them—as relatives first, icons second.