remembering Cory

Today was I was treating my sister to a belated birthday lunch at a local Filipino restaurant where she sat down and said, "Did you hear? Cory Aquino died today."

I was stunned.

I knew the former president of the Philippines was suffering from cancer because it was headline news while I was living there last year. However, I didn't realize that she would leave us so soon.

I'm not big on idolatry. As a scholar, it's important to maintain a critical eye. I do not write this to over-romaticize her presidency. She had a lot on her plate. She didn't have the experience to restore democracy and clean up a corrupt government after the Marcos dictatorship. She also came from a wealthy land-owning family that would have zero interest in supporting land reform. Like all of us, she was not perfect.


However, she still remains an important historical figure in my life. The People Power Revolution in 1986 still burns in my memory. I recall night after night being glued to the television set with my father as we watched the footage of the election and the overthrow. Images of people donning their yellow t-shirts and raising their "laban" signs, nuns praying on the streets, and Arcadia's "Election Day" blared from the television screen. I remember watching the masses put their faith in Corazon Aquino - their symbol of justice and their memory of her late husband Ninoy Aquino.

I also remember when she became the president of the Philippines. It was then that my father told me that Filipino women can do anything. To this day, I believe what my father told me.

As an adult and scholar, I am still fascinated by the Marcos dictatorship, the People Power movement, and of course, Cory Aquino's presidency. Today, I am saddened by her passing. Though I will always maintain a critical eye, I do want to pay my proper respects to Time Magazine's 1986 Woman of the Year (note: she was the second female to earn this title; the first was Queen Elizabeth in 1952), and the person who inspired what my sociology professor described as, "a bloodless revolution."

My sincerest condolences go to the family and friends of Corazon Aquino.