Military Honors

MANILA, Philippines—Former President Corazon Aquino was buried Wednesday night beside the only man she loved, after a huge outpouring of public affection that rivaled the funeral of her martyred husband 26 years ago.
The funeral of the woman simply called Cory lasted nine hours, just shy of the 11 hours it took to bury assassinated opposition leader Benigno S. “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. in August 1983.
But the marathon procession in the rain that preceded Cory’s interment at Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque City unleashed an unprecedented display of love for her that even their children felt that, once again, Cory had surpassed Ninoy.
“They must be laughing in heaven,” Eldon Cruz, Aquino’s son-in-law, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer. He said the Aquinos’ departed relatives must be making fun of Ninoy in heaven and telling him: “Talo ka kay Cory (You lost out to Cory).”
Cory was finally laid to rest beside Ninoy at the family mausoleum at 8:35 p.m. amid chants of “Cory, Cory” from her supporters, who burst through a military and police cordon to get as close as possible to the ceremony.
During the Requiem Mass at Manila Cathedral earlier, the Aquinos’ youngest child, TV actress Kris Aquino, said between sobs that her parents must now be happy to be together again, adding: “Dad ... you were her one and only love.”
Legions of mourners estimated by foreign news agencies at hundreds of thousands paid homage to Cory during the procession that began at Manila Cathedral. Estimates of the crowd at the 1983 funeral ranged up to two million.
Simple tomb
Cory, who died at age 76 after a battle with colon cancer, was interred in a simple cement tomb.
The mausoleum itself has no walls or gates and is made of ordinary off-white floor tiles, unlike neighboring mausoleums adorned with bricks and marbles.
It was Cory’s idea to keep the mausoleum simple, park manager Lamberto Pena said. “She wanted it to be simple,” he said. “She did not want elaborate decors, not even marbles.”
For Wednesday’s funeral, the tomb was decorated with mostly yellow flowers: big and small chrysanthemums, white orchids and more than 100 white stargazer lilies.
Unprecedented honors
Nearly 10,000 people broke through a military and police cordon to be close to the mausoleum. The funeral had been intended to be strictly for family and close friends. The family had rejected a Malacañang offer of a state funeral.
As the pall bearers brought Aquino’s casket to the red carpet for the funeral honors, the crowd began rushing forward chanting Cory’s name and waving Philippine flags. Policemen and soldiers tried to hold them off on a bridge leading to the site of the ceremony.
With the crowd getting restless, a combined Armed Forces and Philippine National Police brigade, totaling about 500 men, began the funeral honors by saluting the casket.
Then came a 21-gun salute.
Military spokesperson Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner said the combined participation of soldiers and police at Aquino’s funeral was a “special arrangement of the AFP and the PNP.”
“I think this was the first time that this happened,” Brawner told the Inquirer.
7 hurt
After the honors, the casket was lifted by pall bearers to the mausoleum followed by immediate members of the family, relatives and friends.
Minutes later, the crowd broke through the cordon and moved briskly toward the mausoleum. They later slowed down to a respectful walk.
At least seven people, including an elderly woman, were taken to a Red Cross tent and given first aid treatment. Most complained of difficulty in breathing while others sustained cuts on their feet and hands.
Two of Aquino’s daughters, Ballsy Cruz and Viel Dee, noted similarities between their parents’ funerals.
“There seems to be more people now,” Ballsy said, “especially on the expressway.”
Viel said her mother’s funeral was festive. “They were not cheering (then) like they are cheering now. And then, it seemed there was no media coverage (then),” Viel said.
Ninoy’s funeral was held while the country was under Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorial rule and the mood was one of indignation at Marcos, who was suspected to have engineered the assassination of the former senator upon his return from US exile.
Early birds
Funeral organizers estimated the crowd inside the memorial park alone to have reached some 30,000.
Some of the politicians who waited for hours for the funeral included former Senators Ernesto Maceda and Nikki Coseteng, Senators Manuel “Mar” Roxas II and Jamby Madrigal, Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, Representatives Ed Zialcita, Lorenzo Tañada III, Roilo Golez, Risa Hontiveros and Walden Bello, Education Secretary Jesli Lapus and former Commission on Elections Chair Benjamin Abalos.
Former Supreme Court Justice Adolf Azcuna and economist Solita Monsod also attended.
Guards were strict with members of the media and allowed inside—or at least tried to—only those with the yellow accreditation identification cards organizers had issued.
The park’s construction and development manager, Reynaldo Aman, recalled that during Ninoy’s funeral, “the cemetery was filled with people. The crowd occupied almost 50 hectares.”For Maceda, Cory’s funeral “is bigger in every sense of the word—and it is not really surprising.”
He said that people attended the 1983 funeral “because of sadness and anger (while in) the case of Cory (it) is an outpouring of love and gratitude.”
Lesson for others
East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta, who attended Wednesday’s funeral, said he wanted to honor both Cory and Ninoy whom he described as “simple, brave and kind” leaders.
Ramos-Horta credited them with “leading the first democracy in Southeast Asia.” He said: “Filipinos paved the way for the wave of democracy that began after the Cold War.”
The outpouring of love and respect for Cory should teach politicians aspiring to be true leaders to put the good of the people first before themselves, some mourners said.
Retired Supreme Court Justice Azcuna said: “This event and her whole life should be a lesson that leadership must be with humility, faith, courage. Leaders must always put the good of the people in their hearts.”
The funeral procession arrived at the memorial park at 7:30 p.m.
The former President’s casket was transferred from the truck that carried it through the metropolis to a wooden caisson that brought it to the mausoleum about a kilometer away from the main gate.
Not for Gloria
Ordinary people who managed to elude the tight security at the entrance rushed to the seats reserved for the family’s visitors and stood on them with their slippers dripping with mud.
Personnel of the private cemetery said they started refurbishing the 30-square-meter mausoleum a few hours after Aquino passed away on Saturday.
Save for two chandeliers, the former President’s white tomb was very simple. Even the marker on her grave was made from ordinary gray marble.
During the funeral procession, a Cory supporter asked the people waiting for hours for the procession to pass: Would you do this for Gloria, referring to President Macapagal-Arroyo?
Their answer was: No.
They owe Cory
Against the backdrop of glum, gray skies and amid intermittent rain, tens of thousands lined or swarmed into the streets waiting for the procession.
“We owe her this much,” said 32-year-old Imelda Palar, who came on her own from Sta. Rosa, Laguna. “I just want to say goodbye one last time.”
Carmela Bascon, who came from Cavite province, said: “The people are aware of what Cory has done for our country. I just want to see her one last time to say thanks.” With reports from Marlon Ramos and Francis Ochoa

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