Aida Fariscal
Aida D. Fariscal (1940? - ) is the former watch commander in the Manila Police Department. She is now a retired grandmother living on pension in a one bedroom apartment.She had spent seventeen years being a homemaker, before she enrolled in the police department in 1977.
She had won an award in 1983 for arresting three murder suspects on Mindoro Island.
The widow of a slain police officer had risen through the ranks of the Manila Police Department. On the night of January 5, 1995, her suspicions about a small fire at the Don Josefa Apartments led her to uncover an Al-Qaida plot named Project Bojinka. She refused to let go of a suspect, who turned out to be Abdul Hakim Murad, after he offered her the equivalent of 2,000 dollars.
Her decision to investigate the fire saved thousands of lives, including that of Pope John Paul II. She recieved a monetary award of the equivalent of 700 dollars and a trip to Taiwan from the government. She also won an award from the CIA for her action. After she foiled the plot, the Philippine police assigned her two bodyguards for five years. The bodyguard service ended shortly before September 11.
She feels upset that she wasn't able to save the victims of the September 11th Terrorist Attacks. The September 11 plot that was made from elements of Project Bojinka. She also felt as if the higher-up generals hogged the spotlight for the end of Project Bojinka.
Her name is largely unknown outside of the Philippines.
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