For Cory
Cory Aquino, your nation weeps for you today.
Faced with cancer, you told your family that you were ready to go. But you hung on for weeks, giving them–and all of us—time to come to terms with your passing. Hanging on despite the pain was the final sacrifice you made for others.
In 1983 when your husband Ninoy was murdered by the Marcos regime, you reluctantly picked up his fallen standard and inspired a suffering and fearful nation to fight for its freedom. Many said you were inexperienced and unqualified. They said that the ragtag opposition party that united around you had no chance against the well oiled and well funded political machinery of the US backed dictatorship. But as you slowly and reluctantly became the center of the anti Marcos movement, it began to fall into place. In 1985 when it became clear that only you could beat Marcos in the snap election, you stepped up to the plate and beat him at his own game.
And in 1986 when Juan Ponce Enrile’s coup failed and he and Fidel Ramos were waiting in Camp Aguinaldo to die, the people demanded that you be installed in exchange for saving them.
And so there you were, the country’s only reluctant president installed and empowered almost absolutely by the EDSA revolution. But instead of clinging onto absolute power, you bequeathed it to the people through the 1987 constitution. Its overwhelming ratification was never contested, never questioned, and in 1992, when it was time for you to step down, you never contested it, and never questioned it. You stepped down. You had already given the nation more than it could have imagined it could have during the dark years of martial law. Freedom was truly your gift to us.
Years later the people squandered your gift. They became complacent and apathetic, and allowed the dishonest, the corrupt, and the ugly to once again take advantage of them.
And it was you who reluctantly went to the streets to remind people that it was time once again to defend themselves against a new set of would be oppressors.
Now as the nation that you gave so much to is again in danger, you will not be here to remind us of our duty.
It has become fashionable these days to say you failed. That the freedom that you helped us win in 1986 has not gotten us any closer to building a just and prosperous society. That while you yourself were not corrupt, your relatives and your advisers were. That we’ve simply replaced one set of thieves and murderers with another.
It has become fashionable these days to blame you for all of that. Because you didn’t do enough to prevent your revolution from being dismantled from within.
But the people who say that fail to see what 1986 was really about. It wasn’t about you saving us from the Regime and everyone living happily ever after. You did your part everytime you were called upon to do so. The problem was we expected you to do it all by yourself while we stood on the sidelines. We didn’t realize that we had a role to play too and that one person would not be able to do it alone. You didn’t fail. We did.
That was the lesson of people power that you tried to teach us. It was a lesson we have still not learned. And now you’re gone. Today we weep not just for you, but for ourselves.
Rest now, Cory Aquino. The angels are are waiting to reunite you with Ninoy . Thank you. Thank you.
August 1st, 2009 07:06
cory passed away.
she who loved her country
with the passion
of a mothers love
to her child.
a lighthouse
in a stormy sea
silent and steady
steadfast in righteousness
widow to a martyr
mother to a nation
decent to the last breath
may we inherit you.
August 1st, 2009 07:58
ANG DILAW NI TITA CORY (A poem by Niña Terol)
Musmos pa lang ako
Noong napansin ko
Ang mga kulay dilaw
Na laso at banderita
Na akala ko noo’y
Simbolo ng
Isang malaking piyesta
Sa kalye.
Natuwa ako no’n
Dahil walang pasok.
Nang kalaunan
Naintindihan ko
Na hindi pala nagpa-party
Ang mga tao
Sa kalye.
Inilalabas nila
Ang kanilang
Galit
Poot
At hinagpis,
At ang kulay na dilaw
Ay naging simbolo
Ng ating
LABAN
Para sa
Demokrasya.
Lalo kong nagustuhan
Ang dilaw.
Matingkad
Maliwanag
Nagbibigay-sigla.
Ngayong ako’y
Di na musmos
At nakakaintindi na
Nakita ko
Na ang dilaw
Ni Tita Cory
Ay di lamang
Isang kulay
Na sinusuot,
Di lamang
Isang simbolo
Na ibinabandera
Di lamang
Isang watawat
Na iwinawagayway.
Ito’y ang dilaw
Na nagbibigay ilaw
Sa gitna ng kadiliman
Ang dilaw
Na nagbibigay pag-asa
Sa gitna ng pagkalugmok
Ang dilaw
Na nagsasabing,
‘Pilipino, kaya mong
Bumangon
At ipaglaban
Ang buhay mo.’
Para sa iyo,
Tita Cory,
Na nagsilbing
Ilaw ng Inang Bayan,
Ang iyong dilaw
Ay di kailanman
Kukupas
Di kailanman
Madudungisan,
Mananatiling
Laging nakatatak
Sa aming isipan.
Para sa iyo,
Tita Cory,
At para sa
Ating Inang Bayan,
Ipagpapatuloy naming
Mga kabataan
Ang iyong
Laban
Para sa kalayaan,
Ang iyong
Laban
Para sa katiwasayan,
Ang iyong
Laban
Na laban rin
Ng sangkatauhan.
~ Niña Terol | 1 Aug 2009
Para kay Tita Cory
August 1st, 2009 08:04
“I would rather die a meaningful death than to live a meaningless life. ”
- Former President Corazon Aquino, 79.
she died a meaningful death; lived a more meaningful life.
August 1st, 2009 08:05
with pain and in tears i say farewell to U my beloved President Cory Aquino…
and i thank U for the love U have for our country…
and i thank U for the example U have shown and taught how a mother should love her children… NO IFs NO BUTs…
and most of all I THANK U FOR SHARING URSELF TO US YOUR COUNTRYMEN…
FAREWELL MY DEAREST PRESIDENT CORY… FAREWELL
August 1st, 2009 08:05
President Cory Aquino, you are the Mother of our Country. You were a beacon of freedom and democracy during the dictatorship.As a private citizen, you have shown the grace and goodness to the Filipino people. You will be missed by a loving and grateful country.
May you find eternal rest and happiness with your beloved Ninoy.
August 1st, 2009 08:09
Cory Aquino is a heroine. She united the country against a tyrant and an oppressor in 1986. Her regime was unsullied with greed and corruption; she could have done more were it not for the power-hungry coup-plotters who slowed down her advance towards a successful reign. She now rejoins her husband, Ninoy, on her way to meet her Creator. May she rest in peace.
August 1st, 2009 08:14
Yes, Ricky, you are perfectly right. Tita Cory did not fail us. We failed her.
Let us hope that her “goodbye” will serve as our final wake-up call.
We continue to pray for President Cory and her family.
August 1st, 2009 08:16
Franklin Drilon on the death of Former President Corazon “Cory” Aquino:
The death of former President Corazon “Cory” Aquino is a personal loss to me.
Whatever I have learned about good governance, I have learned by watching her closely during her days in Malacanang and during her post-presidency days as Citizen Cory.
During the last year of her presidency, people close to her argued that since she came into office as a revolutionary president and not elected under the 1987 Constitution, she was eligible to run in the 1992 presidential election. She would have none of that. She firmly believed that a peaceful transfer of power to the next president was critical to the preservation of our democracy. She was, indeed, an icon of Philippine democracy.
Her legacy of restoring democracy in the Philippines after the many dark years of the Marcos dictatorship and her resolve to strengthen and preserve our democratic institutions will live long in our hearts. Likewise, her determined efforts to bring decency and honesty in governance will serve as an inspiration to Filipinos in the generations to come.
President Aquino came to power not by her liking but by a twist of fate. Yet she accepted her role and responsibility with humility, strength, and simplicity. And when it was time to make her exit, she did so not just with grace but also with leadership. I can only hope that those who come after her can still follow her example.
We shall continue to live by her principles. We shall carry on her untiring crusade for the promotion of democratic ideals and good governance. In our hearts, Cory, like her martyred husband Ninoy, will live forever.
Goodbye Cory. A grateful nation salutes you.
August 1st, 2009 08:17
Mar Roxas on the death of Cory:
Tita Cory, personally and through her husband Ninoy, underwent so much pain and abuse but she never surrendered. Today, even in death, her dreams live on and they will never be defeated.
At no time did an ordinary housewife like her exert an extraordinary influence in the course of our recent history. As she cared for Ninoy and her family during the days of his brave struggle against the dictatorship, she nurtured the nation in its brave journey from darkness to freedom.
Her leadership was a bridge between the long era of rebellion and strife in the seventies and eighties, and the restoration of democracy towards the nineties. It was a leadership steeped in pure selflessness. For Tita Cory fought dictatorship with the same fervor that she loved our nation. Through her, we were able to live out and show to the world, our own patriotism.
We saw how the EDSA revolution that was sparked by Tita Cory reverberated globally. It inspired peoples all over Eastern Europe and Latin America to bring down authoritarian rule without violence, to the extent that even the Berlin wall was torn down three years later. The whole world owes much to her shining example.
Tita Cory joins the ranks of the greatest freedom fighters of the last and current century— Ghandi, Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi, among several others who have devoted their life and being to principle that there is nothing more precious than the liberty and dignity of human beings.
Tita Cory stood for the unity and reconciliation of our people. The least that we can do today is to set aside our partisan interests, tone down our partisan voices and pray as one nation for her peace and the peace that she dreamt for all of us.
August 1st, 2009 08:28
Cory Aquino gains the whole world by her untiring love for the filipino people. History will always remember a good woman like Tita Cory because she sacrificed her life by defending innocent people like Jun Lozada, ZTE whistle blower and shunned people who are expert in deviating the truth to falsehood.
August 1st, 2009 09:03
Nina, that was beautiful.
August 1st, 2009 09:53
Pasintabi Sir Ricky, I want to share this to you from http://michaelxiaochua.multiply.com/journal/item/209/SALAMAT_AT_PAALAM_Corazon_Sumulong_Cojuangco_Aquino_1933-2009
SALAMAT AT PAALAM:
Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco Aquino
(1933-2009)
Michael Charleston B. Chua
Unibersidad ng De La Salle Maynila
Pangalawang Pangulo, Philippine Historical Association
“Nagpapasalamat ako sa Panginoong Diyos at ginawa niya akong Pilipino na katulad niyo.”
-Cory Aquino
Nilisan na tayo ni Tita Cory!
Ito ang maling balita na natanggap ko mula sa isang estudyante ko habang ako ay naglelektura noong 24 Hulyo 2009. Sa araw na iyon, marami ang umiyak. Mali ang balita, pero may nasilip akong bagong pag-asa sa sama-samang pananalangin para sa kalusugan ng dating pangulo. Noong hapon na iyon, nakasakay ako ng taxi sa Vito Cruz nang makakita ako ng isang padyak na may malalaking dilaw na ribbon. Naiyak ako. Hindi pala nakakalimot ang mga tao.
Kaninang umaga, sa ganap na 5:48 ng umaga, ang aking kaibigang si Ayshia ay ginising ako ng isang masamang balita—Nilisan na tayo ng tuluyan ni Tita Cory sa oras na 3:18 ng umaga. Nakapaligid ang kanyang pamilyang nagdadasal ng rosaro, sa ikalimang misteryo ng Hapis.
Bilang isang batang lumaki sa Tarlac sa panahon ng Kapangyarihang Bayan (People Power), inspirasyon ko si Tita Cory. Sinisigaw ko ang kanyang pangalan sa tuwing may helikopter na dumadaan at dinadala ko ang kanyang larawan. Una ko siyang nakamayan sa Katedral ng Maynila sa misa para sa mga biktima ng 9/11 noong 2001. Nakapanayam ko na rin siya noong 2003 at sa kabila ng pagiging pormal at makikitang pagpapahalaga sa distansya at pribasiya, naging mabuti ang kanyang pagtrato sa amin at pinadama niya na espesyal kami sa kanya. Simple lamang siya.
Ang nais kong maalala kay Gng. Aquino ay ang simpleng nilalang sa kanyang kaibuturan. Ang simpleng nilalang na sa iba’y maaaring tawaging ang bata na nasa loob natin, na sa kabila ng komplikasyon at mga kakulangan ay nagpapadayon pa rin, hindi natitinag.
Naaalala natin ang simpleng maybahay na hindi naisip ang panganib ng diktadura, at naging tinig at tanglaw ng nakakulong na kabiyak, ang bayaning si Ninoy Aquino.
Naaalala natin na matapos mapaslang ang asawa noong 21 Agosto 1983, sa kabila ng pagnanais na magkaroon ng mapayapang buhay, tinanggap niya ang hamon na maging lider nang kinailangan ng ipantatapat sa makapangyarihang diktador. Nanaig ang simpleng nilalang sa loob niya, na sa kabila ng kakulangan ng karanasan, sinunod niya ang kahilingan ng milyong tao na tumakbo bilang pangulo, at sa panahon ng Kapangyarihang Bayan noong Pebrero 1986, tinawagan siya ng mamamayan na itatag muli ang bandila ng demokrasya sa bansa.
Naaalala natin ang simpleng pangulong hindi naghangad na mapag-ibayo ang kanyang kayamanan, gamit ang kanyang kapangyarihan. Hindi nabahiran ng anumang alegasyon ng personal na korupsyon.
Naaalala natin na matapos niyang ilipat ang panguluhan ng mapayapa noong 30 Hunyo 1992 sa kanyang kahalili, sa unang pagkakataon mula 1965, hindi nagpahinga si Tita Cory. Ang simpleng nilalang sa loob niya ay nagpatuloy na tumulong sa bayan, sa pamamagitan ng Aquino Foundation at sa mga pakikibaka para sa mabuti at maginhawang lipunan.
Anumang pagkukulang at isyung kinaharap ni Tita Cory, nahihigitan ito ng kanyang karakter at kabutihang-loob. Ginawa at sinabi niya ang sa tingin niya ay tama, at ang simpleng nilalang sa kanyang kaibuturan ay patuloy na pinanghawakan ang pag-asa at tiwala sa mga Pilipino.
Sa kanyang pagkawala, muling magugunita ang Kapangyarihang Bayan kung saan siya ang naging simbolo ng pagkilos ng 2 Milyong Pilipino na naging simple sa isang pagkakataon at ipinakita ang lahat ng maganda sa Pilipino. Muling makikita ng kabataan ang kadakilaan ng kanilang bansa at lahi sna sinisimbolo ng isang simpleng maybahay.
Purihin ang Diyos at nabuhay at nakasama natin ang isang Dakilang Pilipino, ang Ina ng ating demokrasya, naging Ina ng Bayan.
Patay na si Tita Cory, pero ipinasa niya sa atin ang pag-asa sa mas maginhawang Pilipinas. Buhayin natin ito sa ating puso, isipan, at gawa.
Patay na si Tita Cory! Mabuhay ang simpleng nilalang sa bawat Pilipino…
1 Agosto 2009, 9:43 NU
Lungsod ng Tarlac
Tingnan din: http://michaelxiaochua.multiply.com/journal/item/207
August 1st, 2009 10:27
Nakikiramay po kami sa pagpanaw ni President Cory Aquino:
Kampeon ng demokrasya sa Pilipinas.
Ilaw sa panahon ng mga ganid.
Tagapagtangol ng mga tinatapakan at api.
Sagisag ng mapayapang pag-aalsa.
Misses Cory Aquino. Mamimiss ka namin at nalulungkot kami sa iyong pagpanaw.
August 1st, 2009 10:51
White House praises Aquino’s ‘crucial role’
(AP) – 38 minutes ago
WASHINGTON — The White House said Friday that former Philippines President Corazon Aquino will be remembered for her “crucial role” in moving the country to democratic rule through non-violent protest.
Aquino died early Saturday in Manila (Friday in Washington).
Aquino’s “people power” movement took to the streets by the hundreds of thousands in the wake of the disputed presidential election in 1986 in which longtime ruler Ferdinand Marcos claimed victory amid allegations of massive fraud. Marcos eventually accepted an offer of exile in the United States and Aquino became president.
“Aquino played a crucial role in Philippines history, moving the country to democratic rule through her non-violent ‘people power’ movement,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs.
Gibbs said President Barack Obama was saddened by Aquino’s death.
In a separate statement, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Aquino showed “extraordinary courage” following the assassination of her husband, Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., in 1983 when he returned to the Philippines to challenge Marcos.
Clinton said Aquino’s “quiet strength and her unshakable commitment to justice and freedom” inspired her and former President Bill Clinton.
August 1st, 2009 11:03
Pres. Cory is one of the — if not THE — greatest living Filipino hero of our times.
Derided during the Marcos Era as an insignificant figment of the political opposition, greatly admired during her administration, and reviled as an impractical democratic idealist during the succeeding political regimes, She stubbornly clung to her personal morals and political ideals rendered almost irrelevant by reemergent political corruption and depravity. She was the yellow-clad lady who once brought a new dawn of hope for the Filipino nation: Corazon “Cory” Cojuangco-Aquino, the noble widow of National Hero Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino.
Despite everything negative that has been said about her, the Filipino People should, and must, always remember that Corazon “Cory” Cojuangco-Aquino was the “raison d’etre” who led them during their Finest Hour exactly twenty-two years ago on 22 February 1986: when the Filipino was at his bravest, most principled, most enlightened, and most spiritual self; when All that was Best in the Filipino shone throughout an admiring, jubilant, and hopeful world!!!
For that one brief shining moment, The Filipino Everyman All over the World — “Juan de la Cruz” of the fields, the factories, the public markets and the “OFWs” of the factories, the ships, the foreign households stood proudly neck to neck and shoulder to shoulder alongside high officials, technocrats, industrialists, and the foreign employers — All were filled with Great Honor and Dignity at their Final Assertion of Democracy in our country, The Philippines.
Thank you so much for Everything, Cory. I cannot speak for anyone else but I want you to know that I will always remember what We All — The Filipino People — went through together and that I will always be grateful. For The Hope, if only for The Hope!!!
(I am crying alone now in my room, said a prayer, lighted a candle, wept profusely) I will stay home today to watch all news about her) I am proud of being a Filipino esp when I travel abroad because minsan isang panahon may isang cory aquino na nagtaguyod na kaya pala ng mga pilipino na magkaroon ng rebolusyon. ang buong mundo ay sumaludo sa atin ng tayo ay nasa rurok ng tagumpay noong 1986. Salamat Madame President!
August 1st, 2009 11:08
isang karangalan na maging isang pilipina…salamat mam cory..gabayan niyo po kaming mga pilipino ituloy ang laban niyo at ni ninoy na magimg lubusang malaya ang ating bansa..
August 1st, 2009 12:06
Ricky
This will be the saddest moment in Philippine history, she is the icom of our freedom, but my deepest sorrow is that she cannot see anymore what she fought for the downfall of the arroyo administration.”nonoy” is rigth she would!t want a state funeral if the one sitting there is curruft president.
Hope this will start pilipino to see that what ninoy said “filipino is worth dying for”
Will miss you cory……………..
August 1st, 2009 14:20
Sadly, I’m sure the current president, who is absolutely no different from the one Cory helped to oust, will talk about her lovingly. I’m sure Gloria will talk about how Cory inspired us to take our country back from the hands of a crooked corrupt dictator. What irony. what hypocrisy.
I don’t believe GMA has earned the right to represent the nation in this time of loss. She had the chance, but she threw it all away in exchange for personal gain. She doesn’t have the right to attend this funeral.
Cory Aquino was a people’s president. GMA has stepped willingly stepped outside that circle.
August 1st, 2009 19:54
When I woke up my lola was watching teleradyo… then when I widen my eyes i saw a special video about Former Pres. Cory Aquino and the text messages about her death.. I am shocked…
August 1st, 2009 21:07
I am in deep grief today with the passing of Mdme.Pres. Corazon Aquino.I hope that her efforts and sacrifices as President and as a private citizen to restore and preserve democracy here in the Philippines will not go down into the drain.
There is nothing more painful than to see a loved one suffer.To the family left behind,it is my sincerest prayer that you may find strength in the midst of all of these.My condolences.
August 1st, 2009 23:54
Ricky,
I want to say thank you for your post. So heartfelt that I now fully understand how she had become a mother to our country. I was too young to remember what happened during her term and reading this entry was indeed an eye opener for me.
I hope in my own little way, I can preserve the gift she had given us…May she now rest in peace…
August 2nd, 2009 05:35
pAPA RICKY JUST READ this in the news earlier, please advised me whether i should dispose my shares in smc-b on monday, this is disturbing:
Lani Mercado appointed by PGMA as board director in San Miguel Corporation
August 2nd, 2009 17:13
For Ninoy, the Filipino is worth dying for, but for Cory, the country is worth living for. According to Ninoy, it is better to die a significant death than to live an insignificant life. And, indeed, the greatness of Ninoy is due to the significance of his death, while that of Cory is due to the significance of her life.
Amay P. Ong Vaño
Banilad, Cebu City
August 2nd, 2009 17:19
We chart our destination in life, but God charts our destiny. President Cory Aquino did not chart her way to the Presidency. She became President of our country by destiny. Salamat, Panginoon! Salamat, pangulo!
May she rest in peace and may our country live in peace.
Amay P. Ong Vaño
Banilad, Cebu City
epov111@yahoo.com
August 2nd, 2009 17:21
Thank you, Tita Cory. I am sorry I never had the chance to thank you.
August 2nd, 2009 21:56
SA IYO LANG
Sa anim na pangulo na aking nadaanan
Sa Iyo Lang ako buong puso naniwala
Dahil nakita ko bukal sa loob mo
Ang Iyong Pinakitang Tatag at Katapatan
Naging Mapagbigay Ka Sa Panahon ng Kagipitan
May Alinlangan Man, Nakinig Ka Sa Sigaw ng Sambayanan
Sa Iyo Lang Muling Naaninag Ang Mailap Na Ilaw
Sa Gitna ng Dilim Muling Nangibabaw
Ang Kulay na Sa IYo Lang
Ang Kulay na Dilaw
Higit Kang Kahanga-hanga
Sa Iyong Pagpapakumbaba,
At Di Ko Malilimutan
Sa Iyo Lang Nagsimula
Laban Para sa Kalayaan, Kahit Sa Ibang Bansa
Mataas Na Pedestal Doon Ka Nararapat
Kasama Si Ninoy, Bayani Naming Lahat
Aming Pagpupugay Alam Kong Di Sapat
Upang Suklian Ang Walang Alinlangan Mong
Pag-papakahirap
Sa Lahat ng Pakikibaka Di Ka Nawala
Dito Ako Sa Iyo Lang Humahanga
Tita Cory, Saan Man Kami Makarating
Makaka-asa Ka, Ala-ala Mo’y Aming Dadalhin
Sa Isip,Puso, at Gawa Lagi Kang Kapiling
Panalangin Ko’y Di Mauwi sa Wala
Mga Sakripisyo Mong Inalay Sa lahat
Paalam Tita Cory
At Maraming Salamat
August 2nd, 2009 22:35
is rene saugisag well? he just gave an interview over the radio about cory but he does not seem to be visible these days.i was hoping to see him during these times.
i was moved by Teddy Locsin’s display of emotion over the death of cory.
August 3rd, 2009 00:20
ricky, please do a feature on the 30 computer technicians who walked out of the comelec count during the snap elections. thanks
where is joker arroyo? he seems to be the only one among cory’s cabinet who has not given an interview yet.
August 3rd, 2009 16:30
ricky, that was js bach’s “air” on the g string played during procession to the altar
August 3rd, 2009 16:57
Bee, thanks I was lost there.
I’ve been urging our producers to play more dignified music like what was played at the procession and not the overly pa-drama piano music we’ve been using as background. But to no avail…
August 3rd, 2009 17:41
It’s a sad day for us, but we should take a page from Tita Cory’s playbook and be inspired (just like her) that the new set of challenges that the Filipino nation faces with her absence is something that we can collectively surmount - keep the faith - God will not put us in a situation that we can not overcome. We should start to take stock of what we can do for this nation and start involving ourselves in nation building.
August 3rd, 2009 18:23
by the way, ricky, have you seen this footage of a ninoy speech in la? so many aspects of him and about his beliefs not talked about at all in mainstream media–his stand on oligarchy, for instance, being a christian socialist, etc. you’ll hear it all from ninoy himself. pls watch it in full (if you will at all that is). i even downloaded each section through mozilla firefox’s videodownloader.com. i’ll keep my copy forever. http://tiny.cc/ZncmB
August 3rd, 2009 18:24
correction, videodownloadhelper hee hee
August 3rd, 2009 18:30
Bee:
Seen parts of it but never the full speech. Will check it out.
August 3rd, 2009 19:54
the most elegant, dignified, simple procession ive seen in the history of philippine funerals was today. the haunting music of bach played by the philharmonic orchestra as the children of cory walk behind her coffin and escort her to the altar. its like returning their mother to god. truly the aquinos is our equivalent of the kennedys of usa. i was speechless and moved watching that moment. the annotation of ces and karen on abs cbn 2 is a1. bravo!!! did lupita directed the whole event of abs? the drama is simply astonishing. i cried buckets earlier… i will miss cory. she made me proud to be a filipino.
her one page obituary in the la times yesterday was wow!!! many filipinos abroad love and respect her. her rule in the 80s is what a quintessential pinoy had experience …thank you cory!
August 3rd, 2009 19:56
ricky:
maybe its copyright etc thats why ur producers wont play classical music but i have to be honest, the background music being played on anc for the past 2 days is super cheap. it cheapens the coverage. sana you play mozart, bach, shubert… mas powerful ang dating.
August 3rd, 2009 20:22
ricky,
it’s a guaranteed great watch, the ninoy speech. the uploader says his videos are especially difficult to tickle out. exactly what his views are aren’t much discussed in commemorative docus. i saved the footage into my computer for fear it might vanish. if we really believe in ninoy, we also must try to know what his vision is centrally. oh and thank goodness you’re back in manila!!! i thought, like mariton, you just left for abroad for good. having been broken the news of cory’s passing gave me angina, but seeing you anchor the newscast proffered easy relief. hehe. sipsip! which is how i segue gratuitously to my simple request: pls watch ninoy’s video. priceless find, that one. and to others reading this, pls see it too from beginning to end and download it in full!!! thank heaps!
August 3rd, 2009 20:27
“thanks heaps,” i mean. and start twitting, ricky!!! hehe. ingats!
August 4th, 2009 02:52
Mahirap, mayaman, bata, matanda, negosyante, ordinaryong manggagawa, halos lahat ng uri ng mamamayang Pilipino ay nagbibigay respeto sa yumaong Pangulong Cory Aquino pero nasaan ang mga artista? Hindi ba nila kayang makihalobilo sa mga ordinaryong mamamayang Pilipino? May sarili ba silang daigdig? Hindi ba sila Pilipino? Nasaan ang mga artitstang ito? Hindi ba nila kayang pumila na kasama ang mga mahihirap na amoy basura? Ang mga mamamayang Pilipino ay nagtitiyagang maulanan, maarawan, maghintay ng ilang oras sa pila maipadama lang nila ang pakikiramay sa Pangulong Cory Aquino na isinakrispisyo ang sarili para sa kalayaan na ating tinatamasa ngayon at kasama silang mga nasa Show Business ang nakikinabang ngayon sa kalayaang ito pero nasaan sila bakit hindi namin sila makita sa lansangan para makisama sa nagkakaisang mamamayang Pilipino. Kung si Ayala ay bumaba sa kanyang marangyang opisina makati at nakisalamuha sa mga ordinaryong manggagawa bakit hindi magawa ng mga artista, nasaan sila? Nagtatanong lang po?
August 4th, 2009 13:55
Will Cory’s death put an end to efforts by the Arroyos and their minions to change the Cory Constitution? Ricky, all of you in independent media should start calling it the Cory Constitution from now on para mahiya naman yong may konting hiya pang natitira sa mga konggresista.
August 4th, 2009 14:07
chona,
I don”t want to see the arroyos in cory”s funeral masisira lang ang mood ng mga tao!
Gagawing lang nyang media circus ang solem na pagluluksa ng sambayanang pilipino? magiging plastic lang ang pag harap sa kanya na mga aquino wag nyang sabihing gusto na nyang makipag reconcile?
Igalang nya ang kagustuhan ng nakararami, kahit dito man lang ay napag bigyan nya kagustuhan ni kris aquino!
August 4th, 2009 17:40
what can i say, i’m a classically trained musician that’s why i’m so disappointed that the music chosen in the necrological sevice reek of Boy Abunda’s touch. I was hoping the organizers would have chosen musical numbers that are appropriate for a stately event such as this. instead, they all grate in the ears as if they are all competing in a singing contest. sigh.
August 5th, 2009 06:15
fairy tale can come true, it could happen to you…
and there it is, the fairy tale of our youth in all its magnificence and glory unfolding before our jaded eyes.
the fairy tale of our youth when our hearts are still pure and our minds basks in the glory of stoic suffering and immovable faith in the invincibility of good.
there she was, she who stood her grounds and kept the faith of goodness when most of us fell one by one by the wayside, wounded by cynicism and apathy and drunk with the exigencies of our daily grind.
there she was, battered and bruised holding a sword of light that stabbed the heart of darkness that lurks in our soul with a mortal blow.
then silently she leaves without a fanfare
hand in hand with her husband she walked into the glorious sunset.
we grieve with her passing yet we envy her for she has turned into what we all wanted ourselves to be - the shining knight that slew the dragon.
yes, fairy tales are true.
August 5th, 2009 07:21
Ricky,
I mean no disrespect whatsoever but, during the broadcast of President Aquino’s procession Monday, I noticed something missing and am hoping you can enlighten me. Again, no disrespect is intended.
My question is… Since this is a ceremony for a former Head of State, doesn’t President Aquino warrant an Honor Guard?
I was surprised to note that absence of a dedicated Honor Guard yesterday. There were military personnel who “assisted” and they were in full dress uniforms to be sure but the manner in which the duty was carried out shocked me. A good example of what I refer to (and sorry to use Movies) is “Gardens of Stone” and more recently “Taking Chance”.
Again, I mean absolutely no disrespect. I would just like to know why the Honor Guard has not been tasked to carry out this duty… Thank you.
August 5th, 2009 18:22
Ricky, I think J.V. Ejercito (or one of his staff) reads your blog. In the Philippine Star today (Aug 5), he said the following. It sounds suspiciously like the words I used in comment 18 above:
“GMA has not earned the right to represent the country (at the funeral). Surely she will talk about how Cory inspired us to restore our country’s democracy. It is pure hypocrisy.”
No big deal. It just sounded very familiar when I read it this morning.
August 6th, 2009 05:23
I saw Cory’s death as a reminder to all of us who received the gift of freedom from her that we should take good care of it for it was won with much suffering on her part and ours. Like Ninoy, SHE had to give the ultimate sacrifice of dying to remind us all that we might have to suffer again if we do not heed her call to guard this hard won freedom. Her funeral serves as a warning to all those who wish to make a repeat of the dictatorship that the embers of the fire Cory lit in our hearts during EDSA 1 is very much well and alive. Patiently burning within and should they try to dismiss this, it shall again burn with fervor and show its might. They surely have misjudged the Filipino people whom Cory have had so much faith in.
August 6th, 2009 10:49
Tita Cory must have attracted a million to her funeral. I was at both EDSA 1 & 2. There were definitely much more people yesterday than I witnessed in EDSA 2. Let us hope that the Filipino has finally awakened. Let us also hope that this serves as the final wake-up call for our leadership to make things right.
August 6th, 2009 12:45
i cried buckets yesterday. My admiration to the Aquino Family for being an inspiration to millions of pinoys.
Mahal ka namin tita cory. Kung ano man ang puwede naming itulong sa mga anak mo, gagawin namin. Maraming Maraming Salamat po at nakilala ko ang isang cory aquino bilang aking pangulo.
Sa iyo kris:
Nadapa ka man ng ilang beses in the past, pinatuyan mo na ikaw talaga ay anak ng 2 bayani. Salamat sa pagiging totoo mo at sa hindi mo pagraramot ng emotion at ibinahagi mo sa taong bayan ang nararamdaman mo bilang naulilang anak.
Ang huling linya mo ang talagang kumurot sa puso ko at ng aking pamilya ng nanood kami kahapon. Sinabi mo:
Good bye mom, i love you mom, maraming salamat at paalam”
GRABENG LUHA MULA SA MATANDA KO NANG INA HANNGGANG SA MGA katulong namin, sobrang bumaha ng luha kahapon. Hinding hindi ka namin makakalimutan. Kung ano mang suporta ang kakailanagin mom, asahan mong ang pamilya ko ay nandoon. Napakaswertte mo at nagkaroon ka ng inang katulad ni Tita Cory Aquino. Sana nakilala din namin siya dati. Mahal naming ang pamilyang Aquino…
August 6th, 2009 16:42
hi ricky.
why is joker arroyo noticeably absent in pres. corys wake?
August 6th, 2009 18:46
Rina,
Joker was at the funeral mass on Tuesday. Don’t know why he didn’t show earlier up but if you notice most of Gloria’s people were scarce during the wake. Delicadeza? Fear of being confronted by an angry crowd? Just plain laziness? Who knows.
August 6th, 2009 20:38
Cory after death
By Herbert Docena
Funerals are not so much for the dead as for us who have to go on living.
The dead have passed on; they can no longer hear us weeping. It is we—we who must scatter the flowers over their graves—who have to be comforted for our loss and who have to confront what lies ahead.
Cory has left but it is we who now have to come to terms with her contradictory legacies. Contrary to the impression conveyed by the media’s almost hagiographic coverage of her passing, the burst of emotions that followed Cory’s death has not simply been that of bereavement and pure adulation.
Indeed, how many of those who queued for hours through the cold raining nights nursed a deep disappointment at Cory’s presidency but walked up solemnly, full of gratitude, to her coffin nonetheless? Of those who walked out of their offices to bid goodbye as Cory’s coffin passed, who did not harbor a lingering sense of waste because of what Cory has squandered—but flashed the “Laban” sign without hesitation? How many prayed for Cory’s soul—but also prayed for the souls of the farmers mowed down with bullets in Mendiola in 1989?
Losing someone is not easy; more so when our conflicted feelings towards the departed could not be so easily reconciled, even by death. On the one hand, Cory inspired us to believe—by leading the movement that toppled the dictatorship—that what we often come to accept as impossible may actually be possible through our actions. On the other hand, Cory also demonstrated—by squandering a historic opportunity to push for meaningful social reforms—how power can make the possible impossible by fiat.
In ending tyranny and, later on, foiling right-wing militarists from taking power, Cory averted the worst. But, by pursuing policies that restored the power of oligarchs and that abandoned society to the whims of the powerful, she also prevented what could have been better alternatives for millions of Filipinos. Cory ushered back democracy but, at many critical moments, she stood in the way of freedom.
After the EDSA revolt, when the passage of a land reform program became a real possibility, Cory instead chose to exempt her family’s hacienda, thereby fatally weakening a program that could have freed millions of farmers from generations of bondage. Corruption is not something usually associated with Cory but if corruption is to be objectively defined as the use of state power to further personal interests, then Cory’s action towards land reforms ranks up there as a monumental, if less obvious, case of corruption. Today, tens of thousands of peasants remain consigned to a life of poverty and misery as a result of this historic decision. Charity is not what they need, but it is a basic Catholic virtue of which Cory proved incapable at that moment when it could have made a lasting difference.
At the height of the negotiations over the US bases in the late 80s, Mt Pinatubo erupted. Zambales residents pleaded with the US military to allow them to pass through the Subic base in order to expedite their evacuation. But the US military refused, thereby cementing growing opposition to the bases, already fired up by cases of abuse suffered by many Filipinos at the hands of US soldiers. And yet, on whose side did Cory march—in one of the rare instances when a sitting president actually joined a public mobilization? On the side of those pleading with the American troops to stay on.
Cory’s failings were historic but her choices, it must be said, were far from easy. Indeed, few have been burdened with a cascade of difficult choices: A widow given the choice to lead an uprising against an entrenched dictator or to continue living in comfortable anonymity. A haciendera challenged to give up her family’s landholdings to set an example. An embattled president who had the choice to pander to the right-wing or to face them down. If we are judged not just by what we do but by what we have to give up, then some of Cory’s choices could readily qualify as acts of heroism. Her other choices, however, have only raised the need for even more of it.
And yet, despite our disillusionment, no other death has moved us to spill out into the streets in such great numbers in recent years. Perhaps it’s not just to say goodbye but to partake in a collective act of grieving—not so much for the dead but for ourselves. Cast between the tyrants and thieves that preceded and succeeded her, Cory’s virtues—her simplicity, her sincerity—seem even more precious and her faults minor—maybe even forgivable?—for a people who are now left to deal with so much worse.
Pity the nation that needs heroes, goes the cliché; pity the nation that has lost one. We weep because we know that our continuing dependence on and continuing need for heroes speaks of our continuing tragedy as a people.
But as we pick up the pieces, just as we did after we buried Cory’s murdered husband Ninoy, we are left with no choice but to confront what lies ahead. In so doing, we are reminded of what Cory herself has demonstrated in those days at EDSA that changed hers and our country’s destiny: that she wouldn’t be there, that it all wouldn’t have happened, if the people weren’t there with her. Without Cory, we may be on our own and yet, as we kept assuring Ninoy, we are not alone.
Funerals are not so much for the dead as for us who have to go on fighting.
(Herbert Docena is a former Benigno S. Aquino Jr Foundation scholar.)
August 7th, 2009 08:00
Ricky,
I am a Marcos Loyalist but I am touched by the people’s show of love & support to Tita Cory during her wake & funeral. Most touching to me was the surprise visit of the Marcoses in her wake. That jesture is truly sincere. I hope that was the start of POLITICAL HEALING in this beloved country of ours. If the principal actors were able to face each other with much civility & sincerity, why can’t their loyal followers, like me do.
Just a teaser, Ricky: BONGBONG-NOYNOY or NOYNOY-BONGBONG tandem in 2010??????????
CRIS & IMEE together in the campaign trail for them?
More power to you, Ricky!!!
August 7th, 2009 09:28
THE CONVERSION OF GLORIA
It was indeed a courteous and appropriate gesture of Pres. Gloria for having gone to Manila Cathedral to pay her last respects to the late former Pres. Cory, even if only for a few minutes. That was an almost perfect first step for reconciliation.
The next immediate step of Pres. Gloria should have been to announce in public that, in honor of and in deference to the late former Pres. Cory and for the sake of the nation, she would immediately ask Congress to throw out the con-ass proposal and that furthermore she would commit to the people that she is definitely stepping down when her term ends as President of the Republic and will not run for any other public office in 2010.
This public announcement would have been a dramatic redeeming political act of Pres. Gloria and may even be perceived as a miracle, if we may call it that, and will effectively diffuse the tension, restiveness and division among our people and will certainly facilitate the process of reconciliation and unity of our divided nation.
Now is the best time for Pres. Gloria to seize this historic moment and be herself redeemed – unless, of course, it would be easier to raise a dead Filipino to life than to convert Pres. Gloria from being a through and through political animal to a higher and nobler political existence.
I wonder if Pres. Gloria realizes that one day, sooner or later, just like all of us, she will have her own epitaph: “SIC FUGIT GLORIA!”
Amay P. Ong Vaño
Banilad, Cebu City
August 7th, 2009 11:06
Here’s an interesting article on the Huffington Post that ties Gloria’s visit to Cory’s funeral and suggests courses for US policy towards us. Its nothing new to most of us but its heartening to note that political junkies in the US hold many of the same views as most of us on this blog do.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/camille-eiss/a-missed-opportunity-for_b_253101.html
August 7th, 2009 16:13
Ricky,
Why is joker arroyo not included to pay tribute to cory!s necronogical mass, I would had like to hear his speech how he love cory very much because he know more about cory life than locsin “maybe” mas love nya si gloria arroyo ngayon than cory.
“just asking lang po”
August 7th, 2009 16:19
My friend told me that Presdient Arroyo ate dinner at LeCirque Restaurant in New York last week. I was told that the bill was 15,000.00 Us dollars.
August 8th, 2009 18:51
this post is beautiful Ricky.
” We didn’t realize that we had a role to play too and that one person would not be able to do it alone. You didn’t fail. We did.”
Amen to that
August 9th, 2009 04:49
I love Cory Aquino as much as I admire her. Ninoy would be jealous.
August 9th, 2009 15:15
individual,
Its in the New Yrok Post’s Page Six gossip section. And it was $20 thousand, not $15 thousand. Conspicuous consumption raises eyebrows in the US at this time of economic hardship. Especially when the customer has been accused of stealing US taxpayers money.
August 9th, 2009 20:54
Thanks Colby.
August 21st, 2009 23:06
For Ninoy, the Filipino is worth dying for, but for Cory, the country is worth living for. According to Ninoy, it is better to die a significant death than to live an insignificant life. And, indeed, the greatness of Ninoy as a Filipino leader is due to the significance of his death, while that of his wife Cory is due to the significance of her life.
We chart our own destination in life, but God charts our destiny. President Cory Aquino did not chart her way to Malacañang Palace. She became President of our country by destiny.
November 18th, 2009 16:11
isa sa mga magaling at marangal na presidente si dating pangulong Cory Aquino. sana magkaroon pa ng presidente na katulad niya.