Hero of time, Preserving the Naked Legacies

August 2, 2009 [last update: August 10, 2009] Special edition:

Passed away by cause of colon cancer was Corazon C Aquino, former President of the Republic of the Philippines. She is considered by many Filipinos as an icon of Philippine democracy. She became President by people’s  power revolution that replaced deposed Prime Minister and President, Ferdinand E. Marcos, who went on exile to Guam [and then to Hawaii], in the height of Edsa I revolution in 1986.

No, Edsa I Revolution did not happen, or happened, because of Ms Corazon C Aquino. Everyone who knew her will agree, Cory never said anything like that or never thought of herself as that. She is not the Mother of Democracy.  Democracy already existed long before our time.  Restorer of Democracy is a little bigger than life.  Fact is, the Philippines was already in a Parliamentary form of government at the time of Edsa I.  What kind of parliament, well, that will always be debatable view and opinion which cannot be passed as fact unless established as fact.

[I was  old enough to remember the time. In my personal view it was a parliament mainly composed of cock suckers and pleasure seekers that did their master more harm than good. I remember only  one  opposition party that stood the onslaught of the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan  [President Marcos' party], and the name was Pusyon Bisaya, by among them a young lawyer who much  later became  Supreme Court Justice Davide. Yes, fact is, we already had an opposition in there at that time, greatly out numbered though.]

Lets go  straight facts, sifting myths aside, giving credit where it is due no more no less, and so as not to twist young minds.  Myth repeated a million times is still myth and won’t stand against a single fact or truth. [Some of them are actually products of personal hatred caused by very deep wounds inflicted during martial rule.]

Fact is, President Marcos, under world pressure, was forced to call a Presidential snap election in 1986. The oppositions had Ms Corazon C Aquino as a standard bearer. In the course of  the count there was a walk out at COMELEC over allegation of  massive fraud in favor of the administration. That particular election was never concluded. The controversy was overtaken by Edsa Revolution. The issue of election fraud became moot and was soon forgotten,  truth buried with it .

Edsa Revolution showed Ms Corazon C Aquino thrown in there again. The revolution started with Defense Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile and Constabulary Chief Fidel V Ramos turning rebels against Malacañang Palace.  This was followed by the call of Jaime Cardinal Sin and the Bishops to support the revolt.  The rest is history. Nobody mentioned, to include every nun and every soldier, up to the nameless people of the streets who participated in there, has sole right to claim the glory of victory for self above anyone else. We  had one social tension that had reached its breaking point that became history. Edsa 1 revolution was a culmination of a-not-really bloodless struggle, Ninoy Aquino himself was one victim.

People, and people alone, makes history…Mao Zedong.

Now, why would Mao Zedong be dragged in here and placed beside her? I think they both have same things in common. No, I’m not comparing degree of greatness. I’m not talking about  ideologies.  I’m comparing qualities.

Both were seen as true. They never displayed selfishness. They never sought worship and praise, they never deified themselves – they just reaped them from people. They found respect they never sought. Myth about them, if any, is by people captivated by them and surely never by them. That’s about them.

No, Corazon C Aquino did not force herself to people to lead a revolution and to  be their president later. By her own account, it was one of the hardest decicion she made in her life – to accept the propossal, a concensus by people for her to stand the great challenge, of fronting civil disobidience.  It must have took great courage for her to do  it. A courageous woman as U.S. President Barack Obama simply conveyed. Destiny fell on her hand. A gift from God to the Filipino people …  now as the Church in Vatican has prefered to put it.

It’s been known that during her presidency, Cory was prodded by others around her to try to extend  herself in power beyond her term and as interim President. She declined them all. I think Cory learned some lessons from President Ferdinand E. Marcos himself. That after two decades of presidential, later martial, and finally parliamentary rule, President Marcos failed to deliver his promises – making this nation great again – to the Filipino people. And he failed to see himself, still thinking he was doing great in the eyes of his people which is what he was when he first ascended in Malacañang.

Cory Aquino, after 6 years in power giving her all, knowing herself and knowing history, never saw herself great. She had abhorred any notion of her perpetuating herself in power. I think it was great honesty aside from unselfishness that was the driver in her.

Surely, she had shortcomings if we need to search for some. I guess we can blame them all to her limitations and never to any bad intention. And whatever, they were all absolved by her display of unquestionable honesty to herself, which I think is her greatest legacy. [One cannot be honest to people if she cannot even be honest to self. Ok, one is either honest or he/she is not.] And that, with all other virtues, all spell high integrity that she had struggled hard to preserve forever.

Welcome to your place in history Ma’am!

Red, Yellow, and Blue flowers…may not look beautiful to some…heroes deserve nothing but real.