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Wednesday, August 5, 2009

A Final Salute to President Cory Aquino


11:00am, August 5, 2009 at the Manila Cathedral…
The Philippine National Police has given departure honors to the late President Cory Aquino before the funeral procession begins…
I cannot consider myself a Cory fan. However, I have tried to make objective observations about her administration within the limit of my knowledge and understanding. I have seen the sincerity of her words through her actions. Although, her administration has not escaped accusations of corruption, none of those has been directed to her or her immediate family. She has kept her integrity intact up to the time she has stepped down from office. In her last State of the Nation Address (SONA) in 1992, she has ordered AFP Chief of staff Lisandro Abadia and PNP Chief Cesar Nazareno to ensure a clean and honest election. One of her priced legacy is the peaceful transfer of power to the new elected President- Fidel V. Ramos who has won the 1992 Presidential elections. Probably, only Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago will contest that statement.
Her short six years in office have been the most difficult years in Philippine history, which to my mind seems so unfair for a new democracy. The seven coup attempts in those six years have wounded her government’s security and cancels off whatever economic growth she has gained in her governance. Adding to that is the MV Doña Paz tragedy in 1986, which has killed almost 3,000 people. Experts consider it as the biggest sea tragedy in history, bigger than the Titanic. In 1987, the Ormoc flash flood tragedy has killed almost 5,000 people. In 1990, an intensity 7.6 earthquake has rocked Central and Northern, which has almost left Baguio City in ruins. In 1991, a dormant volcano- Mt. Pinatubo- suddenly has risen from deep sleep. The Mount Pinatubo eruption in June of 1991 has placed the volcano in the annals of world history as one of the greatest volcanic eruptions on record. The government has allotted 10-15 billion pesos for the rehabilitation of the affected provinces. The only good out of it for many is the permanent pull out of US military bases in the Philippines. Lastly, the energy crisis the country has suffered from toward the latter part of President Cory’s administration, which has resulted to an 11-hour daily brown out.
Any ordinary leader would have easily broken down from those frustrating tribulations but the woman in yellow has stood firm in her commitment and vision and nothing has weakened her determination.
Around 8:00pm, August 5, 2009, Manila Memorial Park…
The Armed Forces of the Philippines with the Philippine National Police have joined forces in giving full military honors to the late President Cory Aquino…
The Filipino people have shown how they have loved the woman in yellow. Hundreds of thousand of people have joined her funeral procession, expressing their gratitude and sympathy to her family. They have endured getting soaked in heavy rain and getting tired in the 9-hour walk just to pay their last respect to their former leader as they walk her remains to its final resting place.

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