AS we remember President Corazon Aquino on her 11th death anniversary on August 1, it is only fitting to expound on the lessons from her presidency and from the Edsa People Power Revolution. As we go through the challenges of the present time, may we be guided by her leadership and legacy. She showed and taught us things that may be regarded as beacons of light that can help us navigate through dark times.
One of the important lessons has to do with unity. When People Power happened, the Filipino people became united toward one goal: to overthrow a dictator and restore national democracy. Cory showed us that we are capable as a people to stand together and fight for our freedoms. We need to understand, however, that unity means setting aside our personal agenda for the sake of the common good. It means helping one another and even
sacrificing ourselves for the welfare of our kababayan.
Cory also taught us to remember the lessons of history so we won’t make the same mistakes. We all fought hard for the liberties that we presently enjoy. Lives were lost and huge sacrifices were made to be able to restore democracy. We need to learn as a people to value these hard-won victories. We need to teach the younger generation about the hard lessons that we learned as a nation and about the fruits of the revolt, including freedom of the press and our legacy to the world, a peaceful revolution.
Inspiration was also another one of Cory’s gifts to us. She inspired us to be strong as a people and actually showed us that it was doable to overcome seemingly impossible odds. This inspiration burns bright to this day, and not just here in the country but also around the globe. In fact, she had said before in one of her speeches: “If we were able to overcome then, we will be able to overcome [the] challenges now.” This is still true today. Cory taught us to be brave and to fight tyranny in the name of democracy.
Cory left us with a lesson on great leadership, one that was based on her strong character and clear vision for her people. She was able to prove, under numerous circumstances, that serving the greater good was more important to her than anything else. Her values were reflected in how she conducted herself and the way she lived her personal life.
So as we remember Tita Cory on the anniversary of her death, I hope we can also reflect on the lessons that she taught us. The Filipino people must protect not just her legacy but also the fruit of our own struggles: democracy. I hope we have understood by now that it is not a permanent thing. To be able to retain democracy, we all need to continuously work hard to nourish and sustain it.
Please join the Holy Mass to be celebrated on the 11th death anniversary of President Cory Aquino on August 1 at 10:30 a.m. This will be presided by Fr. Manoling Francisco SJ. Just go to the Facebook page of “Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation.”