Farewell to Cory Aquino

It’s raining hard outside on a late Saturday afternoon. It seems that the heavens are pouring out their sighs and sadness drenching the entire metropolis with its tears descending upon its parched crooked and cemented landscape. And as the rain continues to fall, I feel sad because Corazon Aquino passed away. I do not her personally. I have not seen her either in real life. But I do know that she became an icon for the Filipino people and the world for her bravery, her integrity and her vision to make this nation come out of an oppressive political system. I am also beginning to understand now what it means to remember people that have affected my life indirectly. Awhile ago, I was talking to my neighbors who happen to be in their early 20s. They never knew EDSA revolution. I remember it as a time of instability. I remember the Marcos stickers all around us. I remember the posters plastered on the streets. I remember that schools suddenly declared holidays. I remember all of this though I was only seven years old. And though it took me a few more years to understand the significance of the event, all of this would not have been possible without the strength of character that is in Cory Aquino. She will be remembered well.

It’s ironic though that this iconic woman is linked to Kris Aquino. Kris Aquino is also an icon in the media circuit. Alas, she does not have the kind of moral ascendancy that her mother has. But that’s not for me to discuss here either. For all her faults and weaknesses, I do admire the fact that she can make more money than she can spend. And she knows what she wants and gets it. So very few people are capable of facing up to their fears and embrace their strengths and weaknesses like her. For that, I believe she got that from her mother. I felt profoundly sad when I saw her cry on television sharing the news about the stage four cancer of Cory. I knew then that it will just be a matter of days or a few weeks before she passes away. Lo and behold, that time has come and now our nation faces another crisis.

I feel happy for Cory too for some reason. Why? At least she will never live to see the next presidential elections. At least she will not live to see if the next president brings the country to further ruin or to further heights and greater glory. I think that’s one reason why  there are times when I just want to die and fade away. With so much pain in this life and seeing the difficulty that is around me, sometimes I wish I was a Superman who could help save the day — but I’m not. Cory was not. Kris was not. We do what we can to help change the way things were.

Sigh. Why do the good die young? Why is Imelda Marcos still alive? Why do people forget their own history? I wish that we could get our act together, make things happen and make sure that we can make it through another day.But until that day comes, I guess I will just have to wait, wait and wait. And what Cory would say… “pray for our nation.” Rest in peace, Cory Aquino. You are loved, you are missed and we hope to live up to the life of integrity and concern for our nation like you do.