Yellow Ribbons
Posted in aquino, corazon, cory, filipino, president
The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.Today we bade farewell to one of the architects of Philippine democracy. At 3:18 AM today, President Corazon C. Aquino suffered cardio-respiratory arrest while being treated at the Makati Medical Center and lost her long-fought battle with colon cancer. She was 76. She will always be remembered as an inspiration to many Filipinos.
I was but a kid during the first EDSA people-power revolution. Back then I hardly knew that it was a political turnaround that tested the resolve of a country that was oppressed by a 20-year dictatorship. Brave Filipinos stood arm-in-arm throwing themselves in front of tanks and heavy artillery, eventually overthrowing the Marcos regime. The country sorely needed a change in leadership. Mrs. Aquino was at the forefront of that change. Only years later, after having read the history books, did I truly realize the triumph our nation had achieved on that peaceful February day in 1986.
Apart from being a great leader and despite her political inexperience, President Aquino became a source of pride and inspiration to her countrymen. Being the country's first woman President, she was simultaneously admired for her strength and dedication, and looked down upon because of her lack of political experience. And despite the military insurrections from 1986 to 1987, she handled the pressures quite gracefully and led the country to a time of relative peace until her term ended in 1992.
We have suffered a great loss today. May the life of the late President Aquino continue to inspire us to become better Filipinos. Let her be a reminder to us that we are a nation worth dying for.
And as we tie the last yellow ribbon, I offer my prayers for the repose of the soul of a truly outstanding Filipino.
Thank you Tita Cory, and farewell.
