Former President Corazon Aquino died at around 3 a.m. today, Aug. 1, 2009.I am not really a fan of Cory and Ninoy. I was born two years after the "first" but I think, the only ESDA revolution. I am not a fan of this revolt either, it is only a transition from an authoritarian rule to an oligarchy; an elite democracy. My personal view is that Cory was chosen because of her character. The widow of Ninoy who could have been the savior of the country and was brutally assasinated; the religious one, the pure one. People mourned with her, they loved her and the opposition knew the people would support her more than they would support Doy Laurel. She was perfect because she was the opposite of Marcos. She was reluctant and some say her family convinced her. The Conjuancos, land owners who were not really affected by CARP. They wanted to regain power that was lost during Martial Law, and they wanted to regain it big time.
She ran for President, was installed by People Power Revolution and was challenged by numerous coups. I think she wasn't fit to be a president, she never prepared for it; but I guess she tried. After her term, she stepped down. She wasn't the best president, she wasn't a technocrat, she wasn't pure. She was a mother. She tried to be a mother of this nation. She tried to repay the people's support for her late husband. She tried to be good for this country.
Just hearing a story about how she served food in a meeting with the labor group leaders made me feel some sense of sadness. My dad laughed, he said "wala syang ere" but continued "sanay sa pulitika sa probinsya, yung inaasikaso ang mga tao". I do not know what he really intended to say. He was never a Cory fan, he often criticized her because he was a Marcos loyalist. Maybe his views affected my views in a way. However, given my bias towards my dad, I tried to look into what he meant. I think he's impressed on how Cory acted by saying "walang ere" and tried to counteract it by saying she's used to a provincial approach to politics, almost saying "funny because she doesn't know how politics is in Macanang." I thought, he didn't consider that Cory above all is a housewife. It's not all about politics sometimes, sometimes it's just who you are.
I think she deserves respect despite her shortcomings in being the icon that she should be. I guess she never wanted to be one, but tried.
Thank you Cory for all the time you spent praying for this country. Rest in peace.
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegalvez/298633414/; http://www.flickr.com/photos/jowellmariano/3067434829/ and fjsanchez.wordpress.com/
