Foreign Correspondence

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Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco Aquino (January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was the 11th
President of the Philippines and the "Mother of Democracy", serving from 1986 to 1992. She was the
first female president of the Philippines and the first female president of any country in Asia.


President Aquino, 1986
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corazon_Aquino
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Corazon C. Aquino historic address to a joint session of the United States Congress (1 of 3) ..

On September 18, 1986, just 7 months after she was swept to power by a popular revolt against
dictator Ferdinand Marcos, president Corazon C. Aquino addressed the joint session of the
United States Congress during her first visit to the country since she came home to bury
slain opposition leader and husband Sen. Benigno "Ninoy" S. Aquino, Jr. in August 1983.

Continued 2 ..

Conclusion 3 ..

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Cory Aquino: from housewife to Philippines president
The Australian .. Article from: Agence France-Presse
August 01, 2009 ..

FORMER Philippine leader Corazon "Cory" Aquino, was a reluctant leader
despite leading a revolution that restored her country to democracy in 1986.

For three days in February of that year, the world watched as the woman in a bright yellow dress led millions
in a peaceful uprising that toppled dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who had ruled with an iron fist for two decades.

During the next six years, Aquino -- a devout Roman Catholic -- changed the country's constitution

But her presidency was marred by at least six failed military coups, political squabbling,
insurgent attacks and her failure to change a political system dominated by elite family clans.

Time magazine made Aquino its woman of the year in 1986 and in 2006
named her one of Asia's heroes, praising her "quiet courage" and describing her as "the
symbol of People Power and an inspiration to others around the world struggling against tyranny."

The 76-year-old Aquino, who suffered from colon cancer, reportedly refused further medical treatment after she was
admitted to a Manila hospital in late June, with family members by her side and the country praying for her recovery.

Born into the Cojuangco clan in the northern province of
Tarlac on January 25, 1933, Aquino was a product of privilege, power and wealth.

Educated in the United States and Manila, she entertained no political ambitions -- but all that changed when
she met and married Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, a bright young journalist from another prominent Tarlac clan, in 1954.

Ninoy was seen by many as a president in the making, but for Marcos the then-senator
was a threat. In September 1972, Marcos declared martial law and jailed hundreds of his
opponents and critics, including Ninoy, who subsequently went into exile for medical reasons.

Corazon Aquino helped keep the opposition alive, speaking out on behalf of her husband and demanding change.

In 1983, against the advice of friends, Ninoy flew back to the Philippines from exile in Boston to seek an
audience with the ailing Marcos. But before he could even get off the plane, he was gunned down by assassins.

His grief-stricken widow flew back to the Philippines, where
she was quickly thrust into the role of uniting the opposition.

"I don't seek vengeance, only justice, not only for Ninoy but for the suffering
Filipino people," Aquino declared as she reluctantly accepted the nomination of her peers.

After Marcos won the 1986 elections, which were marred by massive irregularities, the Aquino-
led opposition, backed by the Catholic church, soon rallied about one million people on the streets.

"People Power" was born, Marcos was quickly ousted and Aquino took the presidential oath of office.

She quickly set up a commission to draft a new constitution, dismantled the network
of Marcos cronies that controlled the economy and freed scores of political activists.

Aquino also began talks with communist and Muslim insurgents, but her efforts would soon be undermined
by problems within the coalition government she built. She later survived a series of bloody coup attempts.

In retirement, and until her illness, Aquino remained in the
public eye, often speaking out against alleged abuses in government.

She became a vocal critic of President Gloria Arroyo, whose family has been accused of massive corruption,
and joined street protests against Arroyo until she was diagnosed with colon cancer in March of last year.

In the 1990s, Aquino said the presidency had taught her a valuable lesson in governance.

"I realised that I could have made things easier for myself if I had done the popular things, rather than the
painful but better ones in the long run. After all, in the long run, I wouldn't be around to be blamed," she said.
http://wl.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25866253-16953,00.html