About Cory Aquino

I was born in 1988, two years after the historical People Power Revolution that ended the reign of Dictator Ferdinand Marcos after 20 years. By the time that I was old enough to care about what was going on in the world, Fidel V. Ramos was president. That is to say that I never truly appreciated Corazon C. Aquino as the first woman president of the Philippines except from what I would learn later on in school.

I only know that it was on her time of office that democracy was brought back to the Philippines. As I was taught in school, democracy had to be the best form of government because the common man has a part in the way things are run in the country. Thus, people seem to claim that President Aquino was a sort of a hero for standing up for the rights of her people to freedom of speech and press … and all the benefits of a democratic rule.

Considering the condition of the Philippines now, after almost 25 years of democracy, I was gravely disillusioned—more so when a college professor of mine once ranted how President Aquino was not even the best ruler she could possibly be. He told us about how she was not even properly qualified to become president because she was a housewife who was educated in France—with a degree for French cuisine. I also heard that she appointed into office not those who would be good in the job but her friends—including her stylist, manicurist, et cetera.

All those combined, I am sorry to say that I feel rather indifferent about the death of the Lady in Yellow. I admit that I feel quite guilty that, even in her death, I still blame her for the gradual decline of this country. As I have seen in the memorial service dedicated to her, she was a nice person who was possibly just defamed by opposition during her time in office. But I am sad to say that the damage was done; what I’ve heard cannot be unheard. I know I’m supposed to feel sad about her passing, but I just don’t feel anything. I’m not even grateful toward her for bringing democracy back into this country. I feel bad, not because she is gone, but because I don’t feel bad about her being gone. It’s frustrating.

I could only say that I do hope that the former president Ma. Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino would rest in peace, along with her husband Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino in the afterlife. With that, I also hope that the legacy they supposedly left for the Philippines did not die with them.