I’m currently still viewing the funeral march for the previous President of the Philippines, Mrs. Corazon C. Aquino. The TV in the sala area turned on at 9am earlier so we could witness at home the mass to the burial of the former president. I was very young when the EDSA Revolution happened so I have no clear memories of what happened then. I do remember the elders around me then being always glued to the radio or TV set and there was a sense of excitement and nervousness emanating from them. Being a small child, I didn’t knew what it meant back then.
Years went by and the schools taught in history classes the part of Philippine history where it garnered respect and admiration from all over the world. EDSA Revolution was a peaceful revolution. Other nations tried to imitate it but it didn’t reach the level EDSA I was able to achieve. It was a time of history for all Filipinos.
I came to know Cory Aquino as the first female president of the country and to a certain extent, I remember hearing a lot of people hated her for being in that position. There were many kudetas and rebellions but they weren’t heeded by her. Her rule wasn’t perfect but it was a time of peace from a long time of unjust dictatorship.
After her term, she went back into her simple life of being the loving widowed mother for her children. Yet, it didn’t stop there. She became, if I may bluntly put it, a “mother watchdog” not only for her own children but for the children of the whole nation. She became a “motherly-political” figure assisting in shaping the history of nation. The People didn’t see a Former Head of State, nor a member of the elite family, the Cojuancos’. They saw a mother, a sister and a friend through Cory. She was gently opinionated on the political happenings within the government. She was very religious that Church didn’t view her as part of a religious-opposition as what the State and Church had been in argument for the longest time. Watching State and Church go hand-in-hand in preparing the former president for her final journey and resting place was a feat to behold.
From every political and religious sects of the nation, from the corners of the Philippines, from every home and building, everybody is now tuned in following each and every step of the coverage for the “People’s Farewell to President Cory Aquino”. I didn’t knew the feelings back then but I feel them now. I feel the hurt of Mrs. Aquino’s immediate family and close friends. I feel the respect and admiration from the nation and all corners of the world as coverage after coverage is done.
To Tita Cory, you make me miss my mom. As Kris has stated earlier within her final message for her mom, there could never be enough time to say goodbye to the one you love. I do miss my mom but I also wish the best for her. I also wish your happiness in the presence of God and your loving husband, Ninoy. You are finally home.
Tita Cory has been a beacon of hope for every tribulations that happened within the nation. Now is the time for her to rest and the time for US, the Filipinos, to take up the reins of what she left behind. She left us her dreams and it is up to us to build those for her. There is still hope. We must maintain that hope. We can do everything because… we are FILIPINOS.
To remember what happened in the EDSA Revolution, please view the video below.
Farewell Tita Cory.
