INTELLECTUAL MASTURBATION

raging_ritch

I am a full-blooded ilocano. And for most of us from the Ilocandia, we are very much familiar with "Marcos".  I remember my relative saying, "it is the Republic of Ilocos because according to him, there was no representative of Ilocos in the 1987 Constitution Assembly". Everything Marcos was something better in comparison to the successors. You would still hear old folks say, "awan data ah di panaoen ni Macoy" (nothing compares to the Marcos' time). Like a true blue Ilocano, i have to agree that most books or literature shows the good side of the Marcoses.

If you ask me way back in grade school, all i know about the famous People Power Revolt is that the color that reigned is yellow, roses were given to the military, and that it was the reason why the Marcoses was forced out of office. I never tried to understand with my young mind how and why it happened because to me, Marcos was the great Ilocano leader.

When I entered the school publications, i learned to look at all sides of the story. Only then did I realize  that there is a great story behind Cory Aquino and the People Power. By 2000, another People Power happened. And still, there was the "usual suspects" Cardinal Sin, Cory Aquino and Fidel Ramos. I thought at that time that the EDSA Dos is the way of the current generation to feel what it felt like during the first People Revolution. It somehow felt good.

In order to understand EDSA Dos, i have to understand the first and original EDSA. I realized that the first EDSA would set the bar of peaceful revolts across the globe. It was a plain homemaker, a grieving wife, that made history and became the symbol of freedom and democracy. Who would have thought that Cory Aquino is a tough woman inside. She withstood the coups and all the criticisms. And she was still there when the EDSA dos happened.

Cory Aquino is a leader. She proved it many times over the years even after her term ended in 1992.  Both EDSA Revolts she was there calling on all the Filipino people to stand up for what they believed in. However, what i admired most is when Cory admitted that EDSA Dos was somehow a mistake and then called upon the resignation of President Arroyo. That gesture may not have been as charismatic as both EDSA Revolts but then again the magic is still there. There are still people who follow her lead.

Today, as i write this, this is my own personal way of having to admit that i have been biased and had a close mind when it comes to the Marcos vs. Aquino presidencies. Today, I vocally admit that Cory is a great leader and that what she has done for the country managed to force us to move into action. Today, people continue to flock to La Salle Greenhills to get a glimpse of Cory. People pay their last respect to the woman who gave back to the Filipino people the freedom, democracy and the pride of being a Filipino. The whole world mourns with the Filipino People. Up to her death, THE MAGIC THAT IS CORY lives on.

raging_ritch

2:05 AM, August 5, 2009-Intramuros, Manila

"Who is Cory Aquino?" a teacher from North Fairview onced asked her students. The answer she got from one of her students was,"she is the mother of Kris Aquino."   

Then I began to think, how well do I know Corazon C. Aquino, the 11th President of my beloved country. I know i cannot answer that definitely. I had to come up with valid reasons to have a good excuse as to why I do not have a good picture of this first female president. I reasoned that i was only 7months old when she was sworn into office after the Edsa People Power and by the time she stepped down from office, i was busy playing like most 7-year olds.

I observed parents who brought their teens and pre-teens to pay their last respect to Tita Cory. Along the way, their mom gave bits of information regarding the Cory. I was moved by the gesture of giving importance to the role Cory has played in our politics. Like myself, these youngsters have limited idea of who Tita Cory is.

As we fell in line several blocks away from the Manila Cathedral, I noticed foreign nationals wearing "Salamat President Cory 1933-2009" shirts  complete with yellow ribbons on their chest or arms. I was amazed on how these foreigners' gesture to acknowledge what she has done for the Philippines and yet this generation of Filipinos, myself included, barely have a good idea of what she has done and what she stood for.

The rain poured hard and the throng of people began to soak but people patiently waited for their few seconds to have a glimpse of Cory.  As we get closer to the Manila Cathedral, people started chanting "Cory" repeatedly lasting for minutes.This must have been how it felt during the Edsa People Power. I could only guess. I could only imagine.


I stood in line for more than 7 hours just to have my 10-second viewing privilege of the "Philippine's Beacon of Democracy". Those few seconds gave me an experience I would never forget and always cherish. I may not have been in the People Power 1 where she lead the nation in toppling the Marcos Regime. I may not have been in Edsa Dos where she once again proved her charisma nor have I been there when barely 4 years after, she called on PGMA to resign from office.  The experience in totality is the closest thing I could get to experience the charisma and magic of Cory Aquino, my first and last close encounter with the Filipino who proved that  Filipino pride is more than a 12-round boxing bout and  numerous title belts.

                                               Salamat po, President Cory.