Tie A Yellow Ribbon for Cory Aquino

Maria Corazon "Cory" Cojuangco Aquino

(January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009)

I woke up this morning to the news that former Philippine President Cory Aquino has passed away due to complications she was suffrering from colon cancer.

She was instrumental in bringing democracy to the Philippines, and served as a catalyst for change. She embodied the struggles of the Filipino people, and was an advocate of peace and freedom.

It all started with Ninoy. He was assasinated the day before my birthday in 1983. Images of his assasination was displayed over and over again on the television. We all grieved with Cory Aquino. Her loss was also our loss. Little did we know that Ninoy's death would catapult her into the presidency and the end of the Marcos regime.

I still remember the People Power Movement in 1986. I was nine years old at the time, and was aware of the suppression under the Marcos dictatorship. I was camped out at EDSA with my Mom, brother, uncles, aunts, and cousins. It was the first time in my life where I saw people from different social classes interact, and come together for a common cause.

I still remember the play by play we would wait for on the radio. Slowly, but surely, soldiers defected against Marcos. They took back radio and television stations. I can still see the street vendor giving away his sweet corn to people who were camped out on EDSA. He gave away his only means of making a living to help his fellow country men. I can recall nuns from my school kneeling in front of tanks. I remember it all.

We were also at Cory Aquino's presidential inauguration. There were so many people there, just a sea of yellow. I can recall stretching upward, as far as I could, so that people could see the "L" I made with my fingers. I wanted them to see that even though I was small, I knew the difference between wrong and right. I was part of the laban, the fight for freedom from oppression. My brother and I even got to see tanks up close. We even went inside them and took pictures with the soldiers. It was a momentous occassion, and one I will never forget.

I went to the same school as Cory Aquino. She attended St. Scholastica's College in Manila, and I am still proud of being a Scholastican like her. You carry those values with you wherever you go, and I can't think of a better product of those values than her.

She was the first woman President of the Philippines. She wasn't corrupt and never enriched herself in office. She ruled with class, dignity, and grace. GMA doesn't even come close...and never will.

Rest In Peace, President Aquino. Thank you for everything that you did for our people. You will be missed.