Cory’s Moral Force Lives On
The outpouring of affection and adulation after the death of former President Corazon Aquino signified not only a grateful people’s mourning, but also a celebration of what she fought and stood for. The hundreds of thousands who lined the 30- kilometer funeral route both wept and applauded, as the casket bearing her remains passed by.
Cory embodied the pride and hope of a long beleaguered nation. She was the first female in modern history who successfully led the struggle against the dictatorship and who was installed by the people to restore democracy in her country.
The 1986 People Power revolution served as an exemplar of nonviolent movements around the world. Since then, people power had ushered in democracy in Indonesia, Thailand, Pakistan, South Korea, Czechoslovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Serbia, Ukraine, Georgia, Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador and South Africa.
Just a few days ago on 1 August 2009, Corazon C. Aquino, 11th President of the Republic of the Philippines, died. She served as president of her nation for six years, from 1986 to 1992. She was the first female president of the Philippines, and was one of a remarkable line of Asian women (including Indira Ghandi in India, Benazir Butto in Pakistan, Mrs Bandaranaike in Sri Lanka, Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh, and Megawati Sukarnoputri in Indonesia) who have been leaders of their country in recent years.