I was only two months old when People Power brought down dictatorship and catapulted Mrs. Corazon Aquino as the country's first woman president.
Corazon Aquino was president until I was six years old. All through my younger years I only knew her as the widowed housewife who was protagonist in the Edsa Revolution and mother of the famous Kris Aquino.
But now her contribution to the country has become more and more clear and significant to me. Not only was she the first woman president, Edsa's protagonist, and Kris Aquino's mother. She was a living proof that Filipinos are capable of doing something noble and extraordinary. Simple, Unmarred and honest, she was - and will forever be - respected by Filipinos of all walks of life, and by the entire world.
With her demise, I can only hope that Tita Cory's challenge - and not only memories - will continue to thrive in every Filipino.
You suffered. You worked hard. You were humble. Your ruled well. You were - and will always be - a beacon for young Filipinos to admire and follow.
Paalam Tita Cory.
