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Remembering Philippine President Corazon Aquino

 



Corazon Aquino was the first female President of the Philippines. She inspired the Filipinos to stage a bloodless revolution in 1996 which toppled the regime of President Ferdinand Marcos who ruled the country for 20 years. That peaceful revolution popularly known as EDSA Revolution or the People Power Revolution inspired the world and led to the rebirth of democracy in the country. The revolt led to her installation as the 11th president of the Philippines. She also became Asia’s first female president and became a world icon on women empowerment, democracy and peace.
She received numerous awards during her time such as:
  • 1986 Time Magazine Woman of the Year
  • 1986 Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award
  • 1986 United Nations Silver Medal
  • 1986 Canadian International Prize for Freedom
  • 1986 Nobel Peace Prize nominee
  • 1986 International Democracy Award from the International Association of Political Consultants
  • 1987 Prize For Freedom Award from Liberal International
  • 1993 Special Peace Award from the Aurora Aragon Quezon Peace Awards Foundation and Concerned Women of the Philippines
  • 1994 One of 100 Women Who Shaped World History (by G.M. Rolka, Bluewood Books, San Francisco, CA)
  • 1995 Path to Peace Award
  • 1996 J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding from the U.S. Department of State
  • 1998 Ramon Magsaysay Award for International Understanding
  • 1998 Pearl S. Buck Award
  • 1999 One of Time Magazine's 20 Most Influential Asians of the 20th Century
  • 2001 World Citizenship Award
  • 2005 David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership Awards
  • 2005 One of the World's Elite Women Who Make a Difference by the International Women's Forum Hall of Fame
  • 2006 One of Time Magazine's 65 Asian Heroes
  • 2008 One of A Different View's 15 Champions of World Democracy
  • EWC Asia Pacific Community Building Award
  • Women's International Center International Leadership Living Legacy Award
  • Martin Luther King Jr. Nonviolent Peace Prize
  • United Nations Development Fund for Women Noel Award for Political Leadership


Her reign as the 11th president of the Philippines was not smooth sailing. Seven coup attempts infected the country. These military insurgencies collectively impaired the Aquino government, even though it survived, it terrified investors from doing business in the Philippines. As a result, the economy slowly deteriorated.

The Aquino administration was also stricken with series of natural disasters The 1990 Luzon earthquake left almost 1,600 dead. The 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo was the second largest terrestrial eruption of the 20th century, killed around 300 people and destroyed agricultural lands in Central Luzon. The Tropical Storm Thelma (also known as Typhoon Uring) caused massive flooding in Ormoc City in November 1991, leaving around 6,000 dead in what was the deadliest typhoon in Philippine history.

It was during the term of Corazon Aquino when brownouts became prevalent and it was also during Aquino's term when MV Doña Paz sank, which killed more than 1,700 people and is considered the worst maritime disaster in Philippine history. The disaster occurred in December 1987.

After the end of her term in 1992, Aquino retired to private life but continued to play an active role in the political scene. She was a major player in the second EDSA Revolution which ousted President Joseph Estrada and led to the installation of the current president - Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

On March 24, 2008, Aquino was diagnosed with colon cancer. By July 2009, Aquino’s health condition became very critical and it was known that Aquino and her family had decided to end her chemotherapy sessions and other medical interventions. Yellow ribbons, her political symbol, where tied along light posts and street railings in major highways throughout the Philippines.

Filipinos hold hands as they held prayer rallies and healing masses for the former president. Once again, she proved to the world that she can unite the Filipinos.

Aquino peacefully died at the age of 76 on August 1, 2009, 3:18 a.m., at the Makati Medical Center.

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