PH
Senator-Judge Bam Aquino on Wednesday confirmed that his uncle, the late senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., used an alias when he returned to the Philippines.“Tama po, si Ninoy Aquino po, ang kanyang alias ay Marcial Bonifacio, para makauwi siya sa Pilipinas nung nasa Boston siya. Pero wala naman ho siyang confidential funds, wala ho siya sa mga ARs (acknowledgement receipts) na confidential funds,” Bam Aquino said.
(That's right, Ninoy Aquino, had an alias Marcial Bonifacio, so he could go home to the Philippines when he was in Boston. But he didn’t have confidential funds; his name was not on the acknowledgment receipts of confidential funds.)
Aquino made the statement after Senator-Judge Robin Padilla said that Ninoy used the alias “Marcial Bonifacio".
Robin Padilla to prosecution: Do you know our heroes used aliases too?
Impeachment court to still summon ex-DepEd SDO Fajarda after reported stroke
Ortonio admits accompanying Gina Acosta to encash OVP confidential funds checks
Padilla was defending the use of aliases in confidential activities, pointing out that even heroes used aliases during the Spanish colonial period. He also said aliases were used by members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in the context of armed conflict.
Prior to Aquino’s interjection, Padilla asked Office of the Vice President (OVP) Assistant Secretary Lemuel Ortonio whether the use of an alias was appropriate when confidential funds were involved.
“As someone who does not know sir, implementations of parang mga confidential activities on the ground, hindi po ako makakasagot nang maayos sir kung pwede po ba or hindi (I cannot answer properly whether it is possible or not),” Ortonio answered.
“But I know that confidential activities are considered to be sensitive and there might be individuals or groups that need to be somehow protected because of the information that you would be getting from those people,” he added.
Source: GMA News
Date Posted: August 26, 2025