Born in Manila on January 25, 1933, the sixth of eight children of Jose C. Cojuangco, a former congressman, and the former Demetria Sumulong, a pharmacist, Corazon Cojuangco Aquino was a member, by birth and marriage, of three political clans – the Cojuangco, Sumulong, and Aquino.
Despite this, from her early until adult life, she never aspired for political office. But circumstances brought her to submit to the will of the people and the Almighty, and she led the country through a difficult political transition and remained a steward of democratization until her death.
As a young girl, the future President Cory remembers handing out cigars and cigarettes to political leaders and their supporters who visited her father at election time. For the most part, however, her life revolved around school, church, and vacations in Antipolo in Rizal Province, the Sumulong bailiwick, and in Tarlac. Her passion for learning and service was ingrained on her by her forebears. President Cory recalled that her Grandfather Sumulong – whom she called Lolo Juan – encouraged her to read when she was young and also impressed upon her his own values, especially the belief that the elite should not dominate Philippine politics. A nationalist, Lolo Juan also taught all his grandchildren to speak in Tagalog and interact with ordinary folk, skills that the late President Cory practiced and valued.
While she had lived a life of relative comfort, the President Cory also knew what adversity brings and mustered the strength from within and from God to overcome such difficulties. Immediately after the assassination of her husband, Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., President Cory was asked to rethink her political role. While she was apprehensive over taking on the leadership role at first, President Cory remembered what her late husband said when asked why he decided to go home despite the threat to his life: “I will never be able to forgive myself knowing that I could have done something and I did not do anything.” And so, she contested the presidency in 1986. With the massive support from her compatriots, she was catapulted to the presidency after the success of the popular uprising in EDSA in February 22, 1986.
When she assumed the presidency, the President Cory immediately buckled down to work, with her priorities clear – restore democracy and the fundamental rights of the people and improve the quality of life of Filipinos. In her years in the presidency, she confronted many challenges and had to deal with contending interests. She subsequently fulfilled her promise to transfer peacefully the power of the President to an elected successor.
After her term, President Cory continued her crusade for democracy and development. Through her foundation, the Benigno Aquino Jr. Foundation, she worked to provide financial and technical assistance to micro enterprises to alleviate poverty. In episodes when the country’s political order was in danger of regression, she lent her voice and her presence to protests and campaigns to restore order, protect the rights of the people, and secure the accountability of all leaders.
When she died last August 1, 2009, the outpouring of prayers, support, and sympathy was massive.
Her death rekindled the commitment of many Filipinos to continue her campaign to empower the ordinary Filipino to make each one of us to contribute, in our modest ways, towards the creation of a truly just, democratic, and humane Philippine society. This commitment is the most fitting tribute that we can give to the woman whose 77th Birth Anniversary we observe today.
source: mb.com
No comments:
Post a Comment