the Cory Magic

students may have been continuing to go to school and people who have work continues to go to their offices but the feeling of sadness is definitely in the midst.

the Filipinos have lost a very important person in their lives...
the Filipinos have lost their mother...

the Philippines continues and will continue to mourn for the death of former President Cory Aquino.

yesterday, when her funeral was moved from La Salle-Greenhills to Manila Cathedral, thousands of people went to the streets and waited for her casket to pass. i was able to witness the prosession - i was at work, at the 42nd floor of our building and i saw the preparation that the City of Makati have undergone for her (traffic enforcers are dressed in yellow, yellow ribbons and cloths hang on the building, etc.). i saw how people began to fill the long street of Ayala Avenue and how they waited despite the unbearable heat of the sun in high noon.

the truck carrying the casket of President Aquino stopped in front of her husband's, former Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, monument in Makati. i saw how emotional was that event when i got home and see it on TV. but even though i was not down on the streets, despite the height and the glass window, i, along with my officemates, could hear the people praying, singing and chanting "Cory" with the "Laban" sign up in the air while yellow confettis pour from buildings.

i was honored to be there. i may not have gone down to the streets but seeing the whole thing happened while i was at a high place is enough for me - if i was not there, i would never see how people began to fill the streets, etc.

President Aquino may not have been groomed to lead a country but despite that, she was obviously the most loved president of the Filipinos. freedom and democracy are among her legacies and no other presidents - be it those who have already replaced her and those who will replace the current one - will be able to surpass her gift to the Filipinos and to the Philippines.

for the modern era, she have sacrificed so much for the Philippines and that sacrifice can never be surpassed by anyone - perhaps, in the next century or so but not anytime soon.

she is a president, a mother and a heroine to all the Filipinos...

the Philippines may be mourning right now but i, personally, can feel something else aside from the sadness and loneliness that is wrapping the hearts of the Filipinos. just like a child who have lost his or her mother, the Philippines will have to learn to stand on its own - the Filipinos must learn to stand on its own, it is already the time for the ordinary Filipinos to fight for the freedom and democracy that President Aquino have strived for the people. it's definitely clear that the Filipinos would not let that sacrifice go to waste...

unity is perhaps crawling back to the Filipino people, change is perhaps walking back to the Philippines' door...this is perhaps what the people is talking about after seeing the thousands of people who went out on the streets yesterday to give their respect, love and final goodbye to the Mother of Philippine Democracy - the undying "Cory Magic"...

[picture from Yahoo! News]

RIP Former President Cory Aquino

i slept at my friend's house and i woke up at 9am...my friend is already awake and she was watching TV with her mom and the reporter from the TV was talking about the details about Cory Aquino's wake.

"Patay na si Cory?" i asked, surprised while i followed my friend to the dining area.

"Oo," she answered, "kaninang 3:18am..."

the event didn't come as surprising (well, i was surprised because i didn't expect to happen now, but maybe i will never expect it to happen anytime) since she's been battling against Colon Cancer ever since last year (there are already several personalities here in the Philippines that had died because of Cancer and the most recent that i could remember are Rudy Fernandez and Francis Magalona). despite having progress and was able to be released from the hospital, she was once again brought back in and was said to be confined for an undefinite time, so i know that it will come soon (add to that is Kris Aquino's - her daughter who is a talkshow host/actress - absence from all of her shows).

obviously, the Philippines is mourning today and will be mourning tomorrow or so. i mean, people all over the country have been organizing various prayer mass for Cory Aquino's speedy recovery ever since she was diagnosed with Colon Cancer. besides, Cory Aquino is a very important person in our society. even though she's no longer the president of the country (ever since 1992), every word she says still weighs tremendous amount of importance and her opinions are always asked during the height of various political issues.

she was an awesome woman. i may not be born during the time when she led EDSA People Power back in 1986 to witness how she ousted the dictator rule of former President Ferdinand Marcos, but her every appearance in the media being interviewed because of various political controversies is enough to make me learn that she is a well respected woman in our country. and i bet, Cory Aquino is the only woman or president that the Filipinos respected this much.

she restored democracy to the Philippines - something that the present and future youths will forever be thankful of. i mean, children born after the reign of Marcos never had a chance to experience his dictatorship and his Martial Law. but of course, each and every Filipino is thankful for that democracy.

she became an inspiration and model not only to the Philippines but also to the whole world. the 1986 EDSA People Power became an instrument to other countries to sought freedom and democracy from the authoritarian, dictorship and communism rule they are under. leaders all over the world were also inspired by her and they highly respect her. women all over the world especially to countries where women are treated with not-so-much importance compared to men admired her strength especially when Cory Aquino's husband, Ninoy Aquino, was assassinated in 1983. when she became the Philippines' first female president, women from other countries also began to sought for the highest political position there is in their country, already believing that they can also lead their own country.

isn't awesome? that as a quiet housewife, she was able to create such a huge impact all over the world?

her death will be in the hearts of the Filipinos and her advocacy for freedom and democracy will be carried on - especially at this time when in just less that a year, the Philippines will again held their election in 2010. the Philippines is once again crying out for democracy, feeling that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo have robbed that off from everyone. maybe not all Filipinos look at Cory Aquino this highly (her regime was the period when various coup attempts occured and there are those who are against her because of her land reform law that she passed but is still not executed) but i'm sure that many of us, she is the Mother of the Philippine Democracy and now that she's dead, a lot of Filipinos would not allow anyone - even their current president who is also a woman - to deny them the democracy that Cory Aquino have strived for in order to give it to them...

thank you so much, former President Cory Aquino.

thank you for the sacrifices you have given our country...

thank you for the sacrifices you have given for us, Filipinos...

thank you for the freedom and the democracy...

thank you for everything...

may you rest in peace...

[picture from Time.com]