MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / August 5, 2009) – Philippines democracy icon, former President Corazon Aquino, was finally laid to rest late Saturday in Manila.
Aquino was buried besides her assassinated husband, former senator Benigno Aquino, at the Manila Memorial Park, where tens of thousands of supporters gathered to pay their last respect to the 76-year old woman who restored democracy in 1986 after ousting Dictator Ferdinand Marcos in a popular revolt.
Supporters, many wearing yellow t-shirts, others with yellow armbands, chanted Aquino’s name “Cory…Cory,” as they bid goodbye for the last time to “mother of all freedom-loving Filipinos.”
Aquino, who died Saturday after a long and painful battle with colon cancer, was given full military honors. (Mindanao Examiner)
Showing posts with label President Corazon Aquino. Show all posts
Showing posts with label President Corazon Aquino. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Yellow ribbons in Davao City
Yellow ribbons adorn Davao City in the southern Philippines as locals pay their last respect for former President Corazon Aquino, who was buried Wednesday, August 5, 2009. Aquino restored democracy in the Philippines after ousting President Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.(Keith Bacongco / AKP Images)President Gloria Arroyo visits wake of former Filipino leader
President Gloria Arroyo views the casket of the late former Philippines President Corazon Aquino at the Manila Cathedral in Intramuros, Wednesday August 5, 2009. (Photo by Rey Baniquet)Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Sarangani mourns death of former Filipino leader
Philippine flags fly at half-mast Tuesday, August 4, 2009 in front of the Sarangani Provincial Capitol as it joins the nation in mourning for beloved former President Corazon Aquino, who died of colon cancer on Saturday. (Photo by Cocoy Sexcion)Saturday, August 01, 2009
Filipinos mourn death of ex-Philippine leader
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / August 1, 2009) - Military and police camps have lowered their flags to half-mast in honor of former Filipino President Corazon Aquino who died Saturday at age 76.
Aquino, the icon of democracy in the Philippines, died from complications due to colon cancer which was diagnosed in March last year.
“The Western Mindanao Command condoles with the Aquino family in the passing of one of our nation’s icon of democracy, ex-President Corazon Aquino,” said Major General Benjamin Dolorfino, commander of military forces in western Mindanao.
Police camps and government offices in the region also flew their flags at half-mast.
In Sulu province, Governor Sakur Tan also ordered all military and police camps, including government offices to fly their flags at half-mast as s a symbol of mourning.
“Former President Aquino is really the symbol of democracy in the Philippines and we are saddened by her demise. Our people will never forget her; her contributions to the restoration of democracy in the country,” Tan said.
Aquino’s son, Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. announced in Manila that his mother passed away at 3.18 a.m. of cardio-respiratory arrest.
Aquino’s husband was assassinated in 1983 upon his return to Manila from his exile in the United States. His death catapulted Aquino to the presidency after deposing President Ferdinand Marcos. She ruled from 1986 to 1992 and survived several coup attempts by rightist soldiers, who accused Aquino as a leftist supporter.
Aquino was named by Time Magazine as the 1986 Woman of the Year. (Mindanao Examiner)
Aquino, the icon of democracy in the Philippines, died from complications due to colon cancer which was diagnosed in March last year.
“The Western Mindanao Command condoles with the Aquino family in the passing of one of our nation’s icon of democracy, ex-President Corazon Aquino,” said Major General Benjamin Dolorfino, commander of military forces in western Mindanao.
Police camps and government offices in the region also flew their flags at half-mast.
In Sulu province, Governor Sakur Tan also ordered all military and police camps, including government offices to fly their flags at half-mast as s a symbol of mourning.
“Former President Aquino is really the symbol of democracy in the Philippines and we are saddened by her demise. Our people will never forget her; her contributions to the restoration of democracy in the country,” Tan said.
Aquino’s son, Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. announced in Manila that his mother passed away at 3.18 a.m. of cardio-respiratory arrest.
Aquino’s husband was assassinated in 1983 upon his return to Manila from his exile in the United States. His death catapulted Aquino to the presidency after deposing President Ferdinand Marcos. She ruled from 1986 to 1992 and survived several coup attempts by rightist soldiers, who accused Aquino as a leftist supporter.
Aquino was named by Time Magazine as the 1986 Woman of the Year. (Mindanao Examiner)
Western Mindanao, Sulu nakidalamhati sa pagpanaw ni Cory
ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Agosto 1, 2009) – Nakidalamhati kahapon ang buong puwersa ng militar at pulisya sa Western Mindanao sa pagpanaw ni dating Pangulong Corazon Aquino dahil sa komplikasyon sanhi ng colon cancer.
Sa Zamboanga City ay ipinag-utos ni Maj. Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino na ilagay sa half-mast ang lahat ng watawat sa buong Western Mindanao bilang respeto at pagdadalamhati ng mga sundalo.
Maging ang pulisysa sa rehiyon ay nagbaba na rin ng kanilang watawat sa half-mast.
“The Western Mindanao Command condoles with the Aquino family in the passing of one of our nation’s icon of democracy, ex-President Corazon Aquino,” ani Dolorfino sa kanyang pahayag sa media.
Ito rin ang iniutos ni Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan sa buong militar, pulisya at ahensya ng pamahalaan sa lalawigan. Kahapon ay nakababa na sa half-mast ang mga watawat sa Sulu.
“Isang tunay na simbolo ng demokrasya si dating Pangulong Cory Aquino at nakikidalamhati ako at ang aking pamilya at kaanak, at gayun na rin ang buong lalawigan ng Sulu sa pagpanaw ni Madam Cory.”
“Hindi natin malilimutan ang kabayanihan ni former President Aquino at ang panunumbalik ng ating kalayaan,” ani Tan. (Jung Francisco)
Sa Zamboanga City ay ipinag-utos ni Maj. Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino na ilagay sa half-mast ang lahat ng watawat sa buong Western Mindanao bilang respeto at pagdadalamhati ng mga sundalo.
Maging ang pulisysa sa rehiyon ay nagbaba na rin ng kanilang watawat sa half-mast.
“The Western Mindanao Command condoles with the Aquino family in the passing of one of our nation’s icon of democracy, ex-President Corazon Aquino,” ani Dolorfino sa kanyang pahayag sa media.
Ito rin ang iniutos ni Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan sa buong militar, pulisya at ahensya ng pamahalaan sa lalawigan. Kahapon ay nakababa na sa half-mast ang mga watawat sa Sulu.
“Isang tunay na simbolo ng demokrasya si dating Pangulong Cory Aquino at nakikidalamhati ako at ang aking pamilya at kaanak, at gayun na rin ang buong lalawigan ng Sulu sa pagpanaw ni Madam Cory.”
“Hindi natin malilimutan ang kabayanihan ni former President Aquino at ang panunumbalik ng ating kalayaan,” ani Tan. (Jung Francisco)
Aquino, heroine of Philippine people power, dies
Former President Corazon Aquino, Woman of the Year - Time Magazine.MANILA (Reuters) – Former President Corazon Aquino, whose "people power" revolution swept dictator Ferdinand Marcos from power in the Philippines, died on Saturday after a 16-month battle against colon cancer, her family said. She was 76.
Aquino was diagnosed with the disease in March 2008 but kept up public appearances this year. A devout Catholic, she was a regular at weekend mass until shortly before being admitted to hospital in late June.
"Our mother peacefully passed away at 3:18 a.m. (1918 GMT Friday) of cardio-respiratory arrest," her son, Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., told reporters in Manila.
Aquino, known as Cory to millions of Filipinos, was president from 1986 to 1992 and will be best remembered as the slim woman in yellow who deposed Marcos in 1986.
The tumultuous events of those weeks reached a crescendo when up to 1 million people waving rosaries and flowers stopped tanks advancing toward Aquino-backed army rebels.
When a bewildered Marcos and his wife Imelda fled the country, it set a precedent for dissidents from South Africa to South America and Pakistan. Aquino was hailed by many as a modern-day Joan of Arc.
"She would have wanted us to thank each and every one of you for all the prayers and your continuous love and support. It was her wish for all of us to pray for one another and for our country," Aquino Jr said.
Cory was a reluctant leader. She shed the housewife's apron only after her politician husband, opposition leader Benigno, was assassinated at Manila's international airport in 1983 on his return from exile in the United States.
Accusing Marcos of ordering the murder, Aquino led protest marches but hesitated when an election was called in 1986.
"What on earth do I know about being president?," she said before taking up the challenge to run against Marcos.
Inevitably, her presidency was less successful than the revolution, with a series of coup attempts by the military keeping the administration hamstrung.
Aquino was lauded for her courage but the spectre of army intervention haunted her entire rule. Natural disasters, including Mount Pinatubo's huge volcanic eruption in 1991, severely battered the economy.
TURNED TO FAITH
Aquino often turned to her faith to steer her through difficult times.
"There was never any moment that I doubted God would help ... If it was time to die, so be it," she said when rebel mortars pounded the presidential palace in 1987.
"I have not always won but ... I never shirked a fight," she said in 1992 before handing power over to her successor, former defence minister Fidel Ramos.
She oversaw the writing of a new constitution which limited a president's time in office to one six-year term.
Born on January 25, 1933, into one of the country's richest families, the Cojuangcos, Aquino grew up in a world of wealth and politics. The daughter of a congressman, she married Benigno, a politician with promise, and they had four daughters and a son before he was thrown into prison by Marcos and then forced into exile.
Aquino seemed frail in later years, but was still game for a fight when she thought it necessary. She brought half a million people on to the street in the 1990s when her Ramos flirted with the idea of trying to extend his term in office.
She was involved in the protests that brought an end to the presidency of Joseph Estrada in 2001, and had supported the campaign to remove current president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Last year, just before Christmas, she publicly apologized for helping bring down Estrada.
"We all make mistakes, please forgive me," Aquino said.
Estrada, once an implacable foe, said of the apology: "It was the best Christmas gift I have ever received."
It mattered to him because it came from "the most trusted person in the country." (Reporting by Manny Mogato and Raju Gopalakrishnan; Editing by Robert Woodward / Reuters)
Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090731/ts_nm/us_philippines_aquino
Aquino was diagnosed with the disease in March 2008 but kept up public appearances this year. A devout Catholic, she was a regular at weekend mass until shortly before being admitted to hospital in late June.
"Our mother peacefully passed away at 3:18 a.m. (1918 GMT Friday) of cardio-respiratory arrest," her son, Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., told reporters in Manila.
Aquino, known as Cory to millions of Filipinos, was president from 1986 to 1992 and will be best remembered as the slim woman in yellow who deposed Marcos in 1986.
The tumultuous events of those weeks reached a crescendo when up to 1 million people waving rosaries and flowers stopped tanks advancing toward Aquino-backed army rebels.
When a bewildered Marcos and his wife Imelda fled the country, it set a precedent for dissidents from South Africa to South America and Pakistan. Aquino was hailed by many as a modern-day Joan of Arc.
"She would have wanted us to thank each and every one of you for all the prayers and your continuous love and support. It was her wish for all of us to pray for one another and for our country," Aquino Jr said.
Cory was a reluctant leader. She shed the housewife's apron only after her politician husband, opposition leader Benigno, was assassinated at Manila's international airport in 1983 on his return from exile in the United States.
Accusing Marcos of ordering the murder, Aquino led protest marches but hesitated when an election was called in 1986.
"What on earth do I know about being president?," she said before taking up the challenge to run against Marcos.
Inevitably, her presidency was less successful than the revolution, with a series of coup attempts by the military keeping the administration hamstrung.
Aquino was lauded for her courage but the spectre of army intervention haunted her entire rule. Natural disasters, including Mount Pinatubo's huge volcanic eruption in 1991, severely battered the economy.
TURNED TO FAITH
Aquino often turned to her faith to steer her through difficult times.
"There was never any moment that I doubted God would help ... If it was time to die, so be it," she said when rebel mortars pounded the presidential palace in 1987.
"I have not always won but ... I never shirked a fight," she said in 1992 before handing power over to her successor, former defence minister Fidel Ramos.
She oversaw the writing of a new constitution which limited a president's time in office to one six-year term.
Born on January 25, 1933, into one of the country's richest families, the Cojuangcos, Aquino grew up in a world of wealth and politics. The daughter of a congressman, she married Benigno, a politician with promise, and they had four daughters and a son before he was thrown into prison by Marcos and then forced into exile.
Aquino seemed frail in later years, but was still game for a fight when she thought it necessary. She brought half a million people on to the street in the 1990s when her Ramos flirted with the idea of trying to extend his term in office.
She was involved in the protests that brought an end to the presidency of Joseph Estrada in 2001, and had supported the campaign to remove current president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Last year, just before Christmas, she publicly apologized for helping bring down Estrada.
"We all make mistakes, please forgive me," Aquino said.
Estrada, once an implacable foe, said of the apology: "It was the best Christmas gift I have ever received."
It mattered to him because it came from "the most trusted person in the country." (Reporting by Manny Mogato and Raju Gopalakrishnan; Editing by Robert Woodward / Reuters)
Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090731/ts_nm/us_philippines_aquino
Thursday, July 02, 2009
No more treatment for ex-Philippine leader Corazon Aquino: Report
Former President Corazon Aquino. Time Woman of the YearMANILA, Philippines - Former President Corazon Aquino, who is battling colon cancer, has decided to forgo further chemotherapy or any other medical treatment, her spokeswoman was quoted Thursday as saying.
The 76-year-old Aquino, who led the Philippines from 1986 to 1992 after the fall of Ferdinand Marcos, was admitted to a Manila hospital last week, and is reportedly being fed intravenously.
"The country's icon of democracy is fighting the hardest battle of her life," spokeswoman Deedee Siytangco wrote in an article published in the Manila Bulletin.
Siytangco said Aquino had been moved to a private room, in a decision "she and her children made in consultation with her doctors." Family members have rushed to her bedside, she added.
"She is no longer receiving any chemotherapy or any other medical interventions," she said, quoting a family member.
Members of the Aquino family and the former president's doctors were not immediately available for comment. Reporters who converged at the hospital were asked to leave, an AFP photographer said.
Aquino has largely remained out of the public eye in recent months, with doctors fearing she may contract infections in her fragile state.
She had been undergoing chemotherapy and was previously hospitalized from March to May.
The murder of Aquino's husband, Benigno Aquino Jr., in 1983 led to widespread street protests that culminated three years later in the toppling of Marcos, who had ruled the Philippines for 20 years with an iron hand.
Aquino was installed as president shortly thereafter.
She is regarded as a symbol of the country's return to democracy, although her six-year term was marked by several bloody coup attempts.
Aquino is also known as a moral crusader after her term ended in 1992, she continued to fight for various causes, including anti-corruption efforts.
Aquino helped mobilize street protests against president Joseph Estrada, a self-confessed former womanizer and heavy drinker who was ousted in 2001.
She reconciled with Estrada last year, and both of them joined street protests against current President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, whose family has been accused of massive corruption. (AFP)
Friday, June 06, 2008
Ex-Philippine President Joseph Estrada Meets With Former Malaysian Deputy Premier Anwar Ibrahim
Former Filipino President Joseph Estrada, left, welcomes Anwar Ibrahim Friday, June 6, 2008 as Corazon Aquino and Datin Seri Wan Aziza look on.MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 6, 2008) – Former Filipino President Joseph Estrada hosted a dinner Friday for ex-Malaysian Deputy Premier Anwar Ibrahim in Manila.
Ibrahim, accompanied by his wife and opposition leader and a member of the Malaysian Parliament, Datin Seri Wan Azizah, arrived at 7 p.m. at Estrada's residence in the posh village of North Greenhills.
Former Philippine leader Corazon Aquino and her son, Senator Benigno Aquino, and other opposition figures were also in Estrada’s house to welcome Ibrahim. Former Cabinet secretaries of Estrada, Jose Pardo and Benjamin Diokno were also in the house.
Ibrahim said he was happy to see Estrada, a long time friend and political ally. “This is important to me because he is more than a friend to me, he is like a family,” he said.
Asked what he liked most about Estrada, a philanthropist, Anwar said, “It is his passion for the poor that amazes me the most. I really see his sincerity in trying to uplift the plight of the masses.”
Estrada for his part spoke good things about Ibrahim, saying, the Malaysian politician is “not only brilliant, but also sincere.”
Estrada’s spokesperson, Margaux Salcedo, said the dinner was an elaborate fine dining experience catered by French Corner Chef Billy King, but the mood was very casual and pleasant.
The dinner, she said, included lamb, roast beef, sea bass and lobster. “This was followed by an evening of song where President Estrada sang traditional Filipino songs to the delight of the Malaysians.”
“It was truly a reunion between old friends,” she said. “You could see it in their faces. They could've eaten tuyo (dried fish) and they would've been equally as happy with the occasion. They were just excited to see each other.
They probably wanted to compare notes because they had been both unjustifiably imprisoned, then now they are both released and the clamor for them both to make a comeback is so strong.”
Ibrahim’s wife said the meeting was important to them because they had wanted to visit Estrada when he was incarcerated, but they were not allowed by the government to do so.
Ibrahim attended a forum on Islam in Manila.
“This is a coming together of icons of democracy,” Estrada said, referring to the presence of Ibrahim, his wife, and Aquino who are all respected opposition leaders. No other details of the meeting were made public.
Anwar was imprisoned in 1999 in a highly controversial trial for corruption. While Estrada was also convicted of plunder in 2001. Anwar was released in 2004 and Estrada had been pardoned by President Gloria Arroyo last year. Both former leaders are still popular in their own country despite their convictions. (Mindanao Examiner)
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