<P> In 1978, from his prison cell, he was allowed to take part in the elections for Interim Batasang Pambansa (Parliament). Although his friends, former Senators Gerry Roxas and Jovito Salonga preferred to boycott the elections, Aquino urged his supporters to organize and run 21 candidates in Metro Manila . Thus his political party, dubbed Lakas ng Bayan (People's Power), was born . The party's acronym was "LABAN" (the word laban means "fight" in the Filipino language, Tagalog). He was allowed one television interview on Face the Nation (hosted by Ronnie Nathanielsz) and proved to a startled and impressed populace that imprisonment had neither dulled his rapier - like tongue nor dampened his fighting spirit . Foreign correspondents and diplomats asked what would happen to the LABAN ticket . People agreed with him that his party would win overwhelmingly in an honest election . Not surprisingly, all his candidates lost due to widespread election fraud . </P> <P> In mid-March 1980, Ninoy suffered a heart attack, possibly the result of seven years in prison, mostly in a solitary cell which must have taken a heavy toll on his gregarious personality . The surgeons were reluctant to do a coronary bypass because of their unwillingness to be involved in a controversy . Additionally, Ninoy refused to submit himself to the hands of local doctors, fearing possible Marcos "duplicity", preferring to either go to the United States for the procedure or to return to his cell at Fort Bonifacio and die . </P> <P> On May 8, 1980, Imelda Marcos made an unannounced visit to Ninoy at his hospital room . She asked him if he would like to leave that evening for the U.S., but not before agreeing on two covenants: first, that if he leaves, he will return; and, second, while in America, he should not speak out against the Marcos regime . She then ordered General Fabian C. Ver and Mel Mathay to make necessary arrangements for passports and plane tickets for the Aquino family . Aquino was shoved in a closed van, rushed to his home on Times Street to pack, hustled to the airport and put on a plane bound for the U.S. that same day accompanied by his family . Ninoy was operated on at a hospital in Dallas, Texas . He made a quick recovery, was walking within two weeks and making plans to fly to Damascus, Syria, to contact Muslim leaders, which he did five weeks later . When he reiterated that he was returning to the Philippines, he received a surreptitious message from the Marcos government saying that he was now granted an extension of his "medical furlough". Eventually, he decided to renounce his two covenants with Malacañang "because of the dictates of higher national interest". After all, Ninoy added, "a pact with the devil is no pact at all". </P> <P> Ninoy traveled extensively in the U.S. delivering speeches critical of the Marcos government. Marcos and his officials, aware of Ninoy's growing popularity even in his absence, in turn accused Aquino of being the "Mad Bomber" and allegedly masterminding a rash of bombings that had rocked Metro Manila in 1981 and 1982 . Ninoy denied that he was advocating a bloody revolution, but warned that radicalized oppositionists were threatening to use violence soon . He urged Marcos to "heed the voice of conscience and moderation", and declared himself willing to lay his own life on the line . After 3 years in exile, Ninoy returned on August 21, 1983 and was shot on the tarmac of Manila International Airport . </P>

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