Paalam, Cory

Corazon C. Aquino
1933 - 2009
Former President and Democracy Icon, Philippines

On the morning of August 1, I woke up from a very disturbing dream. I was in a field with tall grass, running as fast as I could - that was the beginning of the dream as I remember it. I did not know what threat lies behind me and chases me down, I just kept on running, swaying the night-shaded grass that blocked my way. Panting and all, I stopped at the sight of a deep ravine ahead.

There in that void on earth, I saw a single, young yellow flower. It was glittering and beautiful. And now I, torn between the fear of the unknown phantom at my back and the pitfall where the flower lies, decided to descend to the ravine, and defying the heights, I took shelter with the flower. I covered my face and cried... I was afraid. When the morning came, I saw my wounds from the descent, and the flower now gone. I searched for it, and after several steps, I saw the flower, yellow and glorious, perched beside the sea at the end of the ravine path, facing the breeze and looking to embrace the sun. I woke up. This was as much as I could remember.

I was dazed. Although this was not the first time I dreamt this way, I grew depressed. The day before, I tried my best to attend a healing mass for Mrs. Cory Aquino in Ateneo, but I failed to come due to the brunt of work. Full of regret, I sufficed my failure by praying privately for her, and that night I continued watching videos of her during the dark period of national crises. I viewed her last SONA, and her historic speech to the U.S. Congress. Without me knowing, she was gone the next day.

I heard the passing of our former President Cory Aquino from a friend while I was walking past the Church of the Gesu, the very same church where the healing mass was held. He said, "Pare, wala na si Cory." "Oh? Kagabi lang pinapanood ko yung mga speeches niya ah. Seryoso ka, akala ko stable na?" "Well, we can't tell naman talaga. Malungkot nga e. They said she died 3am."

Later on, after out NSTP, I looked around the residence halls complex, that day when the rain never stopped. It was full of yellow ribbons, drapers, and flowers. Yellow, after all, is the color of remembrance, a beaming memory from that courageous campaign against dictatorship. Cory, after a long battle against colon cancer, is gone.

I felt I owe something to that woman in yellow. When I was still in elementary, I remember arguing against my classmates about who was the president when we were born, in 1991. Others say it was FVR, I said it was Cory. "Cory? E di ba noong People Power pa yun? Umabot ba siya ng 1991?" I said, "Yes!". "E natatandaan ko si Ramos na yung president natin e." "Hindi! Hindi ko rin siya natatandaan, pero 1991 umabot siya."

Talking endlessly on a matter which was trivial to most, I was proud that I was born during Cory's reign. Everyone knew about that unassuming housewife who toppled the dictatorship of Marcos - this, while enduring the murder of her husband, Ninoy. She became the country's light in times of utter darkness, and with her, the Filipinos knew the essence of hope and gave them the inspiration to curb the shackles of fear that was binding them that time. She rose to worldwide fame on 1986, the time of the first EDSA revolution. After a long and a bloodless campaign, she took oath to defend the country from the entrenched institutions of injustice. Due to this, she was chosen as Woman of the Year by Time, was nominated for a Nobel Peace Price, bestowed with over 20 honorary doctorate degrees, and was given that heart-warming standing ovation when she addressed the U.S. Congress. Her actions inspired waves of nonviolent movements around the world, climaxing with the fall of the Soviet Union.


I can compare segments of my life with hers. After all the accolades she received upon her rise to power, many people felt that the challenge of rebuilding a torn nation overwhelmed her. She endured seven coup attempts, several natural disasters, and the burden of national debt and worldwide crises. In her last SONA, she was resigned to the fact that she failed to meet the expectations. I felt this a lot of times in my life. But even in the face of those incompetencies, she continued to fight on, humble yet steadfast and faithful. She became one of my life's inspirations. After all, I was born in the society reformed by Cory, free from any stain of oppression.

I remember hearing the news of Cory's diagnosis of cancer while riding a jeep a year ago. I was shocked to see several tabloids lined up along an MRT station pronouncing the ill fate of the Aquino matriarch. I immediately expected her to be bedridden and to fight this battle with her eyes closed. But Cory never failed to surprise. She still had that fighting spirit which catapulted her to worldwide prominence. She was fighting on, carrying on, living and praying, continuing to fulfill her promise of serving the Filipino beyond the time bounded by the constitution, that is, to the grave.

I deeply recall that line from her message to the Filipinos in a Jessica Soho interview (rephrased a little):

"Nagpapasalamat ako sa Diyos na ginawa niya akong Pilipino, na katulad ninyo. Iyon ang isang bagay na ikinararangal ko."

Again, I was proud to share the same blood as hers. Now that she's gone, I can only thank her for the gift of freedom that she gave our generation. I thank her for being the inspiration to the many who continue to fight on, living, and continuing to resist any forms of oppression. I thank her for holding on to that great Power above, setting an example for those in pain and struggling. She deserves to be rewarded for her courage, and for driving others to that same virtue. Her passing, that eternal freedom from suffering and the reward of God's embrace, is something the nation should accept, albeit painful for us who were left behind.

I was happy for her, she died a "Happy Death". And when I went to the cafeteria, I got my P500 bill, looked at the man portrayed there, and told him "Nariyan na ang matagal mong hinihintay." I can picture him reciting that beautiful poem, I Fell in Love with the Same Woman Three Times, telling Cory, "This might as well be the fourth." and giving out a laugh. Happy now are they, that hero, and the flower that faced the sun in my dream.

Maraming salamat, Cory. Paalam.