EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION

former president
Corazon Cojuangco was born in Paniqui, Tarlac into one of the richest Chinese-mestizo families in

the Philippines, the powerful Cojuangcos of Tarlac province. Her mother’s family, the Sumulongs, also belong to a political Chinese Filipino family in Rizal, making her one-eighth Tagalog in maternal side, one-eighth Kapampangan and one-fourth Spanish in paternal side, and half-Chinese in both maternal and paternal sides. Growing up in a privileged family, she was sent to St. Scholastica’s College and finished grade school as class valedictorian in 1943. She was sent overseas to study in Ravenhill Academy in Philadelphia where Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco once studied, the Notre Dame Convent School in New York, and College of Mount Saint Vincent, also in New York. She studied liberal arts and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree major in French Language and minor in Mathematics in 1953. She intended to become a math teacher and language interpreter.

Married life with Benigno Aquino, Jr.

She returned to

the Philippines to study law at Far Eastern University, owned by her cousin Don Nicanor Reyes. In 1955 she married Benigno Aquino, Jr. Ninoy, who had just been elected mayor of Concepcion, Tarlac province at the age of 22. They had five children together: a son, Benigno Aquino III, and four daughters, Maria Elena Aquino, Aurora Corazon Aquino, Victoria Eliza Aquino, and television host Kris Aquino. Like her husband, Corazon was a member of the Liberal Party Philippines. Benigno Aquino, Jr. rose to be governor and senator, then under the Marcos regime was arrested, sentenced to death, and exiled. She accompanied him into exile in 1980. He was later assassinated on August 21,1983 upon arrival from a 3-year exile in the United States at the tarmac of the Manila International Airport, which was later renamed in his honor. After his death she was convinced by the friends and supporters of Ninoy to enter into politics as head of the Laban party.

Presidential Campaign - 1986

Main article: Philippine presidential election, 1986

On the last week of November 1985, President Ferdinand Marcos shocked much of the nation when he called for a snap presidential election to be held in February 1986; at first the opposition United Nationalists Democratic Organizations-Lakas ng Bayan as the main political umbrella of the opposition supported Senator Salvador Laurel of Batangas as its standard bearer, but business tycoon Don Joaquin Chino Roces was not convinced that Laurel could defeat Marcos in the polls. Roces initiated the Cory Aquino for President Movement to gather one million signatures in one week for Cory to run as president; Aquino was convinced to run initially as Vice President, but Laurel gave way to Cory to run as President and ran as her running-mate. The campaign was made in the month of January 1986, for the February elections. Although she was officially reported to have lost the election to Marcos, the elections were widely believed to be fraudulent. Both Marcos and Aquino claimed to have won, and held rival inaugurations on February 25, but Marcos then fled in the face of huge nonviolent popular demonstrations, military opposition, and U.S. pressure.

Presidency

Time Magazine's Woman of the Year.

Time Magazine’s Woman of the Year.

Despite the euphoria following the overthrow of the Marcos government, Aquino faced the massive challenge of restoring the nation. She established a revolutionary government under the terms of a provisional “Freedom Constitution”, legally establishing the structure of the government pending the adoption of a permanent, democratically-drafted constitution. In late 1986, the Aquino administration appointed a Constitutional Commission to draft the new constitution. It was ratified on February 7, 1987. Congressional and local elections soon followed, setting up a government based on popular and democratic mandate. Aquino drew praise for her support for democracy, and was selected as Time Magazine’s Woman of the Year in 1986. Despite enormous popularity of her persona and that of the new constitution, Aquino continued to face repeated military coup attempts and communist insurrection. Marcos loyalists continued to oppose

the government, culminating in a failed July 1986 attempt to establish a rival government at the Manila Hotel, with Arturo Tolentino as temporary president. A more serious threat came from an attempted coup in August 1987 which was repeated in December 1989. Both military coups were led by Col. Gregorio Honasan. The Aquino administration was continually plagued by rumors of coup attempts.

Natural Disaster

The Aquino administration faced many Natural Disasters that devastated the archipelago. The worst eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 struck the nations livestock and rice farm capital, Central Luzon. The earthquake of July 16,1990 caused a lot of problems in infrastructure destroyed by 7.7 magnitude earthquake. Category 5 typhoon hits the islands and kill thousands. Aquino accomplished all problems brought by natural calamities before she left her position. The administration is believed to be one of the most devastated decade of presidency in the country.

Before 1992 election

In the 1992 Philippine elections, though eligible to run for a second term, Aquino backed her then Defense Secretary Fidel V. Ramos (after initially naming Ramon Mitra, Jr., her former Agriculture Secretary and then Speaker of the House of Representatives, as her candidate), Marcos’ army chief-of-staff whose defection to the Aquino party proved crucial to the popular revolution. This decision was unpopular among many of her core supporters, including the Roman Catholic Church (Ramos is a Protestant). Ramos narrowly won with just 23.58 percent of the vote, and succeeded Aquino as president on June 30, 1992.

Post-presidency

Following the end of her term, Aquino retired to private life. When she rode away from the inauguration of her successor, she chose to go in a simple white Toyota Crown she had purchased (rather than the government-issue Mercedes), to make the point that she was once again an ordinary citizen. She has directed a number of projects that aim at furthering the spread of democracy in Asia. In 1998, she supported Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim for the presidency. Lim however landed in the 5th place in the May 1998 election where Joseph Estrada won in a landslide victory. Aquino was the recipient of the 1998 Ramon Magsaysay Award for International Understanding, Asian equivalent of the Nobel Peace Prize, with then President Joseph Estrada as the guest-of-honor. In January 2001, Aquino was instrumental in the success of the second EDSA Revolution, a four-day popular revolt that peacefully overthrew Philippine president Joseph Estrada that led Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to the presidency. In 2002, Aquino was Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees of the Asian Institute of Management, a leading graduate business school and think tank in the Asia Pacific region. In 2005, Aquino condemned Arroyo, the current president, for allegedly rigging the 2004 electoral process. In February 2006, Aquino joined protestors demonstrating against Arroyo on EDSA, after an alleged coup attempt by members of the Filipino military. In October 2005, she was awarded one of the World’s Elite Women Who Make a Difference by the International Women’s Forum Hall of Fame of 2005. In November 2006, she was hailed by Time Magazine as one of the great Asian Heroes. Aquino is busy campaigning for her only son, Benigno III, in his bid for a Senate seat in the May 2007 elections. She is also involved with microfinance projects for beginning entrepreneurs, social welfare and scholarship assistance through the Benigno Aquino Memorial Foundation, and good governance advocacy through the EDSA People Power Commission. Aquino is also skilled in oil painting. She is fond of giving her own paintings, as gifts, to her close friends and acquaintances, including world leaders, diplomats, and corporate executives. On December 25, 2007, Corazon Aquino was brought to the Medical City hospital in Pasig City hospital on Christmas eve, due to high blood pressure. Mrs. Aquino was discharged shortly.[2]

Ninoy Murder

On the 24th Anniversary of the death of Benigno Aquino, Jr., Cory stated that she had forgiven the 14 incarcerated soldiers for the assassination of her husband but she would not ever nod to appeals for their release. On the other hand, Andres Narvasa stressed that there was no direct evidence linking Ferdinand Marcos and Fabian Ver to the murder. Narvasa further pleaded for the release of the 14 soldiers since they have suffered enough, and warned that Mrs. Aquino is not a vengeful person.[3]

Timeline

Aug. 21, 1983 - Benigno Aquino, Jr. was assassinated after disembarking a China Airlines plane at the Manila International Airport. Also killed was Rolando Galman. Aug. 24, 1983 – Ferdinand Marcos set a fact-finding commission headed by Supreme Court Chief Justice Enrique Fernando to investigate the Aquino murder (composed of 4 retired Supreme Court Justices who resigned, after its composition was challenged in court and thereafter, Arturo M. Tolentino declined appointment as board chairman. Aug. 31, 1983 – Burial of Ninoy at the Manila Memorial Park, Paranaque after the 11-hour procession joined by 2 million Filipinos. Oct. 22, 1983 – Marcos created another fact-finding Agrava Board, headed by former Court of Appeals Justice Corazon Agrava, chairman, with lawyer Luciano E. Salazar, businessman Dante G. Santos, labor leader Ernesto F. Herrera and educator Amado C. Dizon, as members (3 P.D. 1886 dated October 14, 1983 and Amendatory P.D. 1903 dated February 8, 1984). It held 125 hearing days from November 3, 1983 (including 3 hearings in Tokyo and 8 hearings in Los Angeles, California), heard 194 witnesses recorded in 20,377 pages of transcripts. Oct. 22, 1984 – Agrava Board released the reports concluding that military officers, including Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Fabian Ver, conspired to kill Ninoy and the Supreme Court assigned the case to the Sandiganbayan. Dec. 2, 1985 – The Manuel Pamaran Sandiganbayan acquitted all the accused. May 16, 1986 – Corazon Aquino appointed Regino C. Hermosisima, Jr. Justice of the Sandigangbyan (until July 18, 1995). Sept. 12, 1986 – The Supreme Court ordered a retrial, granting the 2nd Motion for Reconsideration in G.R. No. 72670. Sept. 16, 1986 – The Sandiganbayan issued warrant to arrest 25 military men, led by Ver and a civilian. Sept. 28, 1989 – Marcos died in exile at age 72 in Hawaii. Sept. 28, 1990 – Regino C. Hermosisima, Jr. penned the 177 pages Sandiganbayan judgment to jail the 16 suspects, sentencing them to reclusion perpetua in each case. Convicted of the crime were the Avsecom chief, Brig. Gen. Luther Custodio, Capt. Romeo Bautista, 2nd Lt. Jesus Castro, and Sergeants Claro L. Lat, Arnulfo de Mesa, Filomeno Miranda, Rolando de Guzman, Ernesto Mateo, Rodolfo Desolong, Ruben Aquino and Arnulfo Artates, supposed gunman Constable Rogelio Moreno, M/Sgt. Pablo Martinez, C1C Mario Lazaga, A1C Cordova Estelo and A1C Felizardo Taran. Custodio died of cancer while in prison in 1991. Estelo was stabbed dead in 2005 by another inmate. However, no mastermind was named. July 23, 1991 – The Supreme Court affirmed the conviction. July 10, 1995 - Fidel Ramos appointed Regino C. Hermosisima, Jr. Associate Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court and retired on his 70th natal day on Oct. 18, 1997. December 17, 1997 – Regino C. Hermosisima, Jr. was appointed Judicial and Bar Council regular member. Nov. 21, 1998 – Ver died of a lung ailment in Bangkok. December 12, 2001 – Regino C. Hermosisima, Jr. was re-appointed Judicial and Bar Council regular member. March 8, 2005 – The Supreme Court denied the petition of the accused (filed on August 2004) to re-open the case. October 4, 2005 – Regino C. Hermosisima, Jr. was re-appointed Judicial and Bar Council regular member, for his 3rd term, duplicating the 3rd term of Teresita Cruz-Sison. His last term will expire on July 9, 2009. August 21, 2007 – The 24th anniversary of Ninoy’s murder. Chief Justice Andres Narvasa appealed for the closure of the case; Juan Ponce Enrile asked for the review for clemency in favor of the 14 convicts; Palawan Bishop Pedro Arigo, chairman of the CBCP’s Episcopal Commission on Prison Pastoral Care (ECPPC) asked pardon for the convicts; Corazon Aquino and Benigno Aquino III forgave the 14 soldiers but opposed heir appeals for clemency or parole (which Sec. Raul Gonzales submitted to the President on 2004); Eduardo Ermita stated that the Bureau of Pardons and Parole had recommended a grant of executive clemency.[4][5][6] August 24, 2007 - Eduardo Ermita officially announced that due to political implications, the appeal for clemency by the 14 soldiers was archived, even if the Bureau of Pardons and Parole presently reviews the plea. The executive secretary refused to give a time frame for the review.[7] November 22, 2007, after more than 21 years, Pablo Martinez, one of the convicts in the Aquino-Galman double murder case in 1983 was released from the National Bilibid Prisons after President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo pardoned him for humanitarian reasons. Martines stated: “Kung nakikinig man kayo Madam Cory Aquino patawarin ninyo ako sa nagawa kong pagkakasala noon (If you are listening Madam Cory, I ask for your forgiveness).”[8]

Awards and Achievements

Paalam tita cory :( Condolence……