Cory's Convoy o Manila Cathedral

MANILA, Philippines—There’s no stopping President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from attending Wednesday’s funeral of former President Corazon Aquino.
The woman who was once asked by Aquino to step down will show up at Manila Cathedral, needing no “invitation” to pay her last respects to the late president.
The President’s chartered flight from San Francisco, California, is expected to land at Ninoy Aquino International Airport at around 3 a.m. Wednesday, cutting short her state visit to the United States.
“Let us avoid desecrating this act of final respect for President Cory by injecting politics,” said Cabinet Secretary Silvestre Bello III.
“If you go to a wake, it’s not upon invitation. You go there out of your free will, your own volition, to pay your respects and to extend your sympathies and prayers to the family,” Bello said.
Ms Arroyo’s attendance will be seen in light of her political conflict with Aquino, an erstwhile supporter who later demanded the President’s resignation amid accusations of election fraud and massive corruption.
The relationship appeared so strained that Aquino’s family refused Malacañang’s offer of a state funeral and seemed cool to the idea of seeing Ms Arroyo at the wake or funeral.
Bello said he was not sure if Ms Arroyo would attend the funeral at Manila Memorial Park. What was certain, though, was Ms Arroyo’s paying her last respects to Aquino, whom the official described as “one of the greatest presidents in the world.”
Nobody designated yet
Aquino’s son, Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, said the family had yet to designate someone who would face Ms Arroyo.
“Someone should face the President,” Noynoy said, aware of official protocol. But he said he and his four sisters had not yet decided on it as they were all reluctant to see her.
In New York City, the President declined media requests to give a personal message on the death of Aquino. Her spokespersons, however, scrambled to assure the public of her sincerity in condoling with her family.
“I’ve already given my message,” said an icy Ms Arroyo, who turned her back on reporters and immediately walked toward her black limousine with her husband.
First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo was about to give a response when asked for a personal message to the Aquinos when he was cut off by the President herself.
Still, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde was insistent that the President was sincere about her condolences which, he said, was proved by her declaration of a 10-day national mourning for the former leader and her declaring her burial a special nonworking holiday.
“The President will do what she needs to do, I hope we will not put politics into this,” Remonde said.
Coin toss
Senator Aquino joked that the family might resort to a coin toss to select someone to do the job. He doubted if the youngest, Kris, would be the one, citing her emotional state.
It was Kris who had explained that the Aquino family had to turn down the Palace offer to honor the former President with a state funeral.
On national television, the actress-turned-TV host had said that the differences stemmed from a decision by the Arroyo administration to recall two soldiers from her mother’s security detail after she called on Ms Arroyo to step down.
But Bello said both leaders had remained “friends” even if Aquino joined the clamor for Ms Arroyo’s ouster. At the height of the “Hello Garci” wiretapping scandal in 2005, Aquino called on the President to resign over fraud committed in the previous year’s election.
“If there were indeed political differences, I don’t think they allowed these … to erode their personal relations,” he said. He noted that some of Aquino’s relatives were now serving under the Arroyo administration.
“They belonged to opposing political aggrupations, but the friendship was never lost,” he added.
Lupita Kashiwahara, younger sister of Aquino’s late husband Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., is Ms Arroyo’s “personal director.”

Marcoses
The Palace said it was not expecting a hostile reception from the Aquinos when Ms Arroyo comes to the wake. It was reacting to impressions that the Aquino family was more willing to accommodate the Marcoses—with whom the Aquinos had a long-running political feud—than Ms Arroyo.
“It seems to me that if the Aquino family was gracious enough to welcome someone from the Marcos family, then—because they are such well-bred and well-born people—we should expect them to be no less gracious when it comes to welcoming someone like the President,” said Gary Olivar, Ms Arroyo’s deputy spokesperson.
“We cannot think less of them than to expect the utmost graciousness from the family even in this hour of dire loss,” he added.
Olivar said Ms Arroyo, like the rest of the nation, owed to Aquino the country’s return to democracy.
“The gratitude that she feels for President Cory, which should be shared by all of our people, has to do with the fact that because of [her], we’re able to have all the administrations that came into power after Marcos, including the current one under President Arroyo,” he said.
Bello said one lesson that could be derived from Aquino’s leadership was clear: “We should continue having women presidents.”
Sincerity of gestures
Senator Aquino said it was not easy to believe the sincerity of Ms Arroyo’s gestures. He was also skeptical about Malacañang’s declaration of Aug. 5, the funeral of his mother, as a special nonworking holiday.
“Let’s see if that would push through,” he said, stressing that “what we are praying for is the peace of mommy.”
In New York City, Ms Arroyo Monday offered Mass for Aquino on a rain-drenched Sunday morning at the St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
The offering was announced from the pulpit by Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, who likewise said the high Mass was meant to celebrate the 41st wedding anniversary of the President and First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo.
The President was expected to leave New York at 4 p.m. on Monday (4 a.m. Tuesday in Manila) and arrive at 3 a.m. Wednesday or just a few hours before Aquino’s burial.
Contrary to Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita’s announcement that the San Francisco stopover was just for refueling, Ms Arroyo revealed that she would meet with officials of Silicon Valley companies to sign some business deals.
Her husband said he planned to stay behind in the United States. With a report from Gil C. Cabacungan Jr.



http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20090804-218655/No-stopping-Arroyo-from-going-to-Corys-wake

Cory's Funeral Covoy in Ayala Avenue

MANILA, Philippines—For one last time, Corazon Aquino returned to the scenes of her greatest political triumphs.
And as it was more than two decades ago, she drew multitudes who showered her with cheers, confetti and even tears in a huge outpouring of love and gratitude for the woman who led them in their fight to win back their freedom.
Ayala Avenue in Makati, where Aquino marched to defy a dictator in 1983, and EDSA (Epifanio delos Santos Avenue), where the People Power Revolution she inspired was born, turned into seas of yellow for one brief afternoon.
The tens of thousands that swarmed the two historic avenues Monday paid homage to Aquino as her flag-draped casket—on a flatbed truck bedecked with yellow and white blossoms—passed through en route to Manila Cathedral, where the last two days of the Aquino wake will be held before her funeral on Wednesday.
The streets fluttered with yellow ribbons and, as they did two decades ago, reverberated with chants of “Cory! Cory!”
The whole metropolis was “in a state of grace,” said Manila’s Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo.
Pabillo was overwhelmed by the public outburst of affection for the 76-year-old widow, who died after a battle with colon cancer on Saturday.
The country’s biggest television networks, GMA 7 and ABS-CBN, carried live telecasts of the procession. In contrast, the government TV NBN was running a different show—an episode of “Concert at the Park"—as Aquino’s casket arrived at the cathedral.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20090804-218648/Cory-Aquino-magic-is-back

Cory's Death

Aquino died of cardiopulmonary arrest after complications of colon cancer at the age of 76 on August 1, 2009, 3:18 a.m., at the Makati Medical Center. Aquino was diagnosed with the disease in March 2008 but kept up public appearances this year. A devout Catholic, she was a regular at weekend mass until shortly before being admitted to hospital in late June. Aquino was the first female president of the Republic of the Philippines to die up to date.

"Our mother peacefully passed away at 3:18 a.m. (1918 GMT Friday) of cardio-respiratory arrest," her son, Senator Benigno Aquino III, told reporters in Manila.
All Roman Catholic dioceses had started requiem masses for Aquino, after they held "healing masses". Meanwhile, the government declared a week of mourning for her death. Former President Estrada said that lost a "mother" and a "guiding voice of the people." Aquino supported Estrada's removal from office in 2001, but the two supported each other to oppose amendments in the constitution since last year. The Senate has also expressed its grieving with Aquino's death; Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, who along with Fidel Ramos launched the People Power Revolution, asked the public to pray for her. Minority leader Aquilino Pimentel served as interior and local government secretary during her administration had "mixed feelings" with Aquino's passing, saying ""We shall be forever indebted to Cory for rallying the nation behind the campaign to topple dictatorial rule and restore democracy."

Cory Diagnosed with Colon Cancer

On March 24, 2008, the Aquino family announced that the former President had been diagnosed with colon cancer. While she had initially been informed by her doctors that she had only three months to live, Aquino pursued chemotherapy. In public remarks made on May 13, 2008, she announced that blood tests indicated that she was responding positively to the medical treatment.

By July 2009, Aquino was reported to be in a very serious condition and confined to Makati Medical Center due to loss of appetite. It was announced that Aquino and her family had decided to cease chemotherapy and other medical interventions.

Cory's Honors, Awards and Achievements

After leaving the presidency, Aquino received several awards and citations. In 1994, Aquino was cited as one of 100 Women Who Shaped World History in a reference book written by Gail Meyer Rolka and published by Bluewood Books in San Francisco, California. In 1996, she received the J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding from the Fulbright Association, joining past recipients such as Jimmy Carter and Nelson Mandela. In August 1999, Aquino was chosen by Time Magazine as one of the 20 Most Influential Asians of the 20th century. The same magazine cited her in November 2006 as one of 65 great Asian Heroes, along with Mahatma Gandhi, Deng Xiaoping, Aung San Suu Kyi, Lee Kuan Yew, and King Bhumibol Adulyadej. In January 2008, the Europe-based A Different View selected Aquino as one of the 15 Champions of World Democracy, alongside Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., Lech Wałęsa, and Vaclav Havel.

In 2002, Aquino became the first woman named to the Board of Governors of the Board of the Asian Institute of Management, a leading graduate business school and think tank in the Asia Pacific region. She served on the Board until 2006.

1986 Time Magazine Woman of the Year

1986 Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award

1986 United Nations Silver Medal

1986 Canadian International Prize for Freedom

1986 Nobel Peace Prize nominee

1986 International Democracy Award from the International Association of Political Consultants

1987 Prize For Freedom Award from Liberal International
1993 Special Peace Award from the Aurora Aragon Quezon Peace Awards Foundation and Concerned Women of the Philippines

1994 One of 100 Women Who Shaped World History (by G.M. Rolka, Bluewood Books, San Francisco, CA)

1995 Path to Peace Award

1996 J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding from the U.S. Department of State

1998 Ramon Magsaysay Award for International Understanding

1998 Pearl S. Buck Award

1999 One of Time Magazine's 20 Most Influential Asians of the 20th Century

2001 World Citizenship Award

2005 David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership Awards

2005 One of the World's Elite Women Who Make a Difference by the International Women's
Forum Hall of Fame

2006 One of Time Magazine's 65 Asian Heroes

2008 One of A Different View's 15 Champions of World Democracy

EWC Asia Pacific Community Building Award

Women's International Center International Leadership Living Legacy Award

Martin Luther King Jr. Nonviolent Peace Prize

United Nations Development Fund for Women Noel Award for Political Leadership

Honorary doctorates:
Doctor of International Relations, honoris causa, from:
Boston University in Boston
Eastern University in St. David, PA
Fordham University in New York
Waseda University in Tokyo
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, from:
University of the Philippines
University of Santo Tomas in Manila
Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, from:
Ateneo de Manila University
College of Mount Saint Vincent in New York
Xavier University (Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines)
Doctor of Humanities, honoris causa, from:
San Beda College in Manila, 2000
Seattle University, 2002
Stonehill College in Massachusetts
University of Oregon, 1995

In popular culture :

Aquino was portrayed by Laurice Guillen in the 1988 HBO miniseries A Dangerous Life.
Aquino was a main character in Boy Noriega's 1987 stage comedy Bongbong at Kris, about an imagined romantic coupling between the youngest son of Ferdinand Marcos and the youngest daughter of the Aquinos.

She was portrayed by Tess Villarama in the movie Ilaban Mo, Bayan Ko: The Obet Pagdanganan Story in 1997.

In 2004, Aquino was portrayed by Irma Adlawan in the miniseries Sa'yo Lamang.

In 2008, a musical play about Aquino starring Isay Alvarez as Aquino, was staged at the Meralco Theater. Entitled Cory, the Musical, it was written and directed by Nestor Torre and featured a libretto of 19 original songs composed by Lourdes Pimentel, wife of Senator Aquilino Pimentel.

After Cory's Presidency

The Philippine Constitution bars a President from serving more than one six-year term; as a result, Aquino was not eligible to run in the 1992 Philippine elections. Instead, Aquino backed her Defense Secretary Fidel V. Ramos (after initially naming Ramon Mitra, Jr., her former Agriculture Secretary and then Speaker of the House of Representatives, as her candidate), Marcos' armed forces vice-chief of staff whose defection to the Aquino party proved crucial to the popular revolution. This decision was unpopular among many of her core supporters, including the Roman Catholic Church (Ramos is a Protestant). Ramos narrowly won with just 23.58 percent of the vote, and succeeded Aquino as president on June 30, 1992.

Following the end of her term, Aquino retired to private life. When she rode away from the inauguration of her successor, she chose to go in a simple white Toyota Crown she had purchased (rather than the government-issue Mercedes), to make the point that she was once again an ordinary citizen.

Aquino led the PinoyME Foundation, a non-profit organization that assists microfinance institutions through the provision of loans. She also oversaw social welfare and scholarship assistance projects through the Benigno S. Aquino Foundation, and good governance advocacy through the EDSA People Power Commission, and the People Power People Movement.
President Aquino was likewise a member of the Council of Women World Leaders, an International network of current and former women presidents and prime ministers whose mission is to mobilize the highest-level women leaders globally for collective action on issues of critical importance to women and equitable development.
Aquino was a skilled painter, and was fond of giving her own paintings, as gifts, to her close friends and acquaintances, including world leaders, diplomats, and corporate executives.

Aquino continued to speak out on political issues. In the 1998 presidential elections, she supported the candidacy of Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, who placed fifth. In January 2001, Aquino played an active role in the second EDSA Revolution which ousted President Joseph Estrada and installed Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to the presidency. In 2005, Aquino condemned President Macapagal-Arroyo for allegedly rigging the 2004 presidential elections. She was a visible participant in mass demonstrations against the Arroyo government and called for the President's resignation.

In December 2008, Aquino publicly expressed some regrets for her participation in the 2001 EDSA Revolution and apologized to former President Joseph Estrada, who had been ousted following that revolt, in his presence. An Aquino spokesperson however later clarified that Aquino's remarks were taken out of context, they having been made in jest at a light-hearted affair.

In the 2007 senatorial elections, Aquino actively campaigned for her only son, Benigno III, in his successful bid for a Senate seat.

Natural and Man-Made Disasters

The Aquino administration faced a series of natural disasters during its last two years in office. The 1990 Luzon earthquake left around 1,600 dead, with around a thousand of the fatalities in Baguio City. The 1991 eruption of the long-dormant Mount Pinatubo was the second largest terrestrial eruption of the 20th century, killing around 300 people and causing widespread long-term devastation of agricultural lands in Central Luzon. The worst loss of life occurred when Tropical Storm Thelma (also known as Typhoon Uring) caused massive flooding in Ormoc City in November 1991, leaving around 6,000 dead in what was the deadliest typhoon in Philippine history.

It was during the term of Corazon Aquino that brownouts became sporadic and a lot of households during that time bought generators. Complaints were made against Napocor which was headed by Aboitiz who also owns shares in a firm making generators. It was also during Aquino's term that the MV Doña Paz sank, which is the worst maritime disaster in Philippine history. The disaster occurred in December 1987 which killed more than 1,700 people.