Manila, Aug. 21 -- Forty-three years after the assassination of former senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., Senators Bam Aquino and Francis Pangilinan on Friday challenged Filipinos to keep alive his faith in the country by refusing to surrender to hopelessness and standing against abuses.

For Senator Aquino, the lesson has become clearer with age as he recalled visiting his uncle during his years in detention and hearing a joke he was too young to fully understand.

"Kuwento ng mga magulang ko, tuwing dinadalaw raw namin si Tito Ninoy, lagi niyang biro: Paul at Melanie, iwan niyo na si Bam dito para may kasama naman ako (My parents told me that whenever we visited Tito Ninoy, he would always joke: Paul and Melanie, just leave Bam here so...