The Filipina Mom in Denmark

Cory Aquino was the president of my youth. During the my last year in high school, the People power revolution broke out and classes were dismissed and we stayed home for several days, confused and uncertain about the future of our country while  my father used to listen to the radio to keep  abreast of what was happening in Manila. We keep on asking him when we have to go back in school but he just said that he don’t know we have to pray for miracle. And miracle did happened, Marcos fled the country and Cory became the first woman president not only in the Philippines but in Asia.

She was the president during my college days and what I can remember was the hope and the excitement of finally tasting the freedom from all the years of oppression. If was also turbulent period because her goverment underwent many coup d’etat but she survived it all. Not only man made disasters but the unforgetable natural disasters happened during her presidency like the  July 19, 1990 Cabanatuan-Baguio earthquake which hometown, Dagupan City was devastated, the MT. Pinatubo volcano eruption in 1991 and the typhoon Uring which caused the massive flooding in Ormoc which killed thousands of people. Just imagined what she has been through but until the end she still thinks of the Philippines and the future of the Filipino people.

She is not only a mother of Kris Aquino and her siblings but the Filipino nation as well because if not for her courage we will be free from the dictatorship and who knows what will happen to the Philippines if she just keep silent and mind her own business. But even in her sufferings of losing her beloved husband, she also helped the Filipino nation to stand up and say “Tama Na Sobra na” (Stop and that’s Enough).

She is not perfect as a president as I heard several what if’s but like a mother she didn’t abandoned her family despite all the pressures left and right. But she left us hope and faith which will keep the Filipinos united. Despite her popularity  she lived a normal life after her term and experienced every ordianary mother  will experience family problems. Life is not perfect even her daughter Kris who was her constant companion being the youngest had been through a lot of problems who’s family is not perfect we all made mistakes Cory being truly a filipinamom  showed that she wasn not happy of what was happening but she still did support and accepts her with open arms when she asked for forgiveness.

Cory Aquino in the eyes of the world

A Screen shot from the program in DR1

In international telivision she was interviewed by several networks but I can not forget that I  happened to watched a program in the Danish national telivision DR1 “De skrev historie” meaning “They wrote history” a series of interview  of people who changed the history of the world the likes of Bishop Desmond Tutu, Madeleine Albright, Lech Walesa, Benazir Bhutto, etc. and I felt proud as a Filipina because we had started this trend of bloodless revolution and was led by a Filipina. It was also the way she told her story smiling a lot , even when she told about her husband murder she still  glows maybe yellow really suites her. You can watched archived of the program here  but I’m not so sure if you can watched it outside Denmark.

 In witten media she was also the darling of the press one of them is the Times Magazine. If you browse the Times Magazine homepage , you can find the following

1.Cory’s life in picture gallery .

2. She was cited as the Time Magazine’s Woman of year in 1987, you can read the article  here.

My heartfelt condolence to the family that was left behind by the former President of the Philippines, Corazon Cojuangco Aquino. I just lost my father so I know how hard to loss one’s parent especially  Cory who served as mother and a father to her 5 children since 1989 when her husband, Benigno Aquino was assasinated.

May Cory’s example be the source strenght of millions of Filipinamoms all over the world during this time of financial crisis and to those who are working away from their families the OFW and other migrant families that they should not lose hope and faith.

Thank you Cory and may your soul rest in peace.