Tita Cory

This is a bit late for an afterthought, but I would have wanted to complete the series on the Europe trip before posting this up.
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The former president of Philippines passed away on 1 August, 2009. Mrs Corazon Cojuangco Aquino, or 'Tita Cory' as the nation fondly called her, succumbed to colon cancer after a year-long battle.

She is of no relation to me, neither am I a citizen of Philippines. My knowledge of the country's culture, perhaps more in-depth with regards to the entertainment news, has led me to know her as the former leader who loves yellow, but more as the mother to the fiesty Filipino showbiz personality Kris Aquino.

I knew little about the country's history and its politics, thus my impression of her was that she was the loving and forgiving parent to Kris, whose scandals never fail to become the talk of the town, amplified by the fact that the entertainment industry is a highly complicated one.

I see her as a caring mother and a doting lola (grandmother). The Aquino family is pretty much a public figure by itself, with a daughter that appears on TV almost everyday, and a son serving as a senator, it's not unusual to see clips of their family life on TV occasionally.

As news of her illness broke out in March last year, there were uncertainties from the public, on how she would deal with such a heavy blow. People started to pray for her recovery. She said to her close friend in her usual calmness, "I've lived a full life. If it's God's will, so be it."

When people heard that her condition had worsened, healing masses were organised across the whole country. People would gather in churches, to pray for the ease of her pain, if not her recovery.

The news of her death took the entire country by surprise. Tributes poured in from all over the world. The country observed 10 days of national mourning. Political leaders see her as a democracy icon, the Filipinos idolise her as their savior from the dictatorship of Marcos.

I did some read-up on this remarkable and brave lady, who was selected by Time magazine as the Woman of the Year in 1986. The assassination of her husband Benigno 'Ninoy' Aquino Jr made her a focal point and unifying force of the opposition against Marcos, and catapulted her to presidency in 1986, and she became the first female president in Philippines and in Asia.

She was termed as a reluctant leader. She did not seek the role, but neither did she shirk the duty when it was thrusted upon her by the people. As she stated, "I never wanted the presidency, I was only there for as long as I needed to be, I am not attached to the very things that came with it."

The 1986 People Power Revolution that she led was an astonishing political story. The presidential election in that same year was a fraud, resulting to a tremendous outcry and a non-violence protest that ousted Marcos from dictatorship, restoring democracy.

Her six-year term as the president was not smooth-sailing. Her administration faced seven military coup attempts that derailed a return to full political stability and economic development. However, she fought the battle bravely, sticking to her principle, "As I come to power peacefully, so shall I keep it."

She rejected suggestions of running presidency for another term, chose to return to being a private citizen in 1992, and said, "My role is to restore freedom and democracy and I have already done that and when I turn over the presidency I have already done my role."

But her service to the country did not stop there. She continued to fight for the betterment of the people and the nation.

For the few days after her death, I followed the Filipino news, from watching documentaries of her life, to witnessing her wake, necrological services, funeral mass, the procession and her interment.

The reactions from her fellow countrymen were immense. It was an outpouring of love and respect for a leader, for a mother of the nation. Hundreds over thousands of people donning in yellow gathered out in the streets, stood under the rain for hours, just to catch a glimpse of the passing cortege. Yellow balloons were released into the air, yellow confetti showered onto the cortege along many parts of her final journey. People flashed the 'L' for Laban (fight) sign, a gesture significant of the People Power Revolution. To be honest, it was a rare but beautiful sight, the scenes reminiscent of Ninoy's funeral procession and the People Power Revolution. It made the world witness the upmost respect the Filipinos hold for her.

Upon leaving the Manila Cathedral for her interment, she received an overwhelming standing ovation. The entire funeral procession took more than 7 hours to bring her to her final resting place at the Manila Memorial Park. The entire journey was filled with people who just wanted to thank her. I suppose there won't be anything like this for any iconic personality, at least not in the Philippines.

I'm not embarrassed to say that I'm deeply touched by the heartfelt eulogies given by people closest to her. She is not just an icon of democracy, she is very much a humble and sincere person who would care for others more than for herself.

Her husband wrote a poem dedicated to the woman he loved most. In 1987, Filipino singer-songwriter Jose Mari Chan set the music for the poem, titled I Have Fallen In Love With the Same Woman Three Times, which was meant to commemorate the death anniversary of Ninoy. A very beautiful piece of poem, with beautiful melody.



She has fought a good fight, lived a meaningful life, and died a meaningful death.

Paalam, Tita Cory.