ON Thursday, January 25th, it would be the birth date of former Philippine President Corazon C. Aquino. She was born in 1933 in a farming town in Tarlac as the sixth of eight children of wealthy Chinese-Filipino parents. Today would be a good opportunity to honor her memory by remembering a few things—some of them perhaps not common knowledge—about her in this column.
Perhaps, some readers know that she was an excellent student and, in fact, graduated valedictorian from grade school in Saint Scholastica’s College in Manila. Cory was also quite a multilingual, as she was able to converse in English, Filipino, French, and Japanese, aside from her native Kapampangan. Based on online sources, the ex-president learned Nihongo during the war as a child, and then studied French in the United States when she enrolled at the College of Mount Saint Vincent.
While she was there, she also volunteered as a supporter for New York Governor Thomas Dewey when he was running against the Democrat Harry Truman during the 1948 elections. In 1953 Cory returned to the Philippines, where she eventually decided to enroll in law school at the Far Eastern University. She failed to finish the course as she got married to Benigno S. Aquino Jr. one year later.
Popularly known as the supportive wife of politician Ninoy, Cory was uncomfortable and disapproving of her husband’s political aspirations in the beginning. She was not used to going on campaign trails or receiving too many people in their house—sometimes even in their bedroom—when Ninoy was mayor. It was obvious that she was used to quiet, private and peaceful living, something that was difficult to achieve as their family became more and more high profile politically in the succeeding years.
She, however, showed strength and devotion to her husband, especially during the difficult years after then-president Ferdinand E. Marcos declared martial law in 1972 and imprisoned Ninoy and other personalities. Cory was a picture of grace and composure. She later on admitted that she had to make a vow to herself that she would be strong for her husband and not let his opponents see her in a moment of weakness. She showed solidarity with her husband’s suffering while he was in prison and told her children to avoid parties, as she herself sacrificed by stopping to buy new clothes or going to salons.
Three years after Ninoy was murdered, Cory Aquino was swept into power by an army-backed people’s revolution. Also in 1986 she was voted as Time magazine’s Woman of the Year. When she retired from the presidency in 1992, Cory still participated in politics, although not actively. She also opened a foundation to help disadvantaged Filipinos create small businesses, helped churches in poor communities with their social projects and assisted rescue centers for street children.
It was a life lived for others and we could only be grateful for the grace and wisdom that she had shown us, for the lessons she imparted through her actions, and the legacy she left for the Filipino people.