Farewell... President Cory!

I have Fallen In Love
( With The Same Woman Three Times )

I have fallen in love
With the same woman three times
In a day spanning nineteen years
Of tearful joys and joyful tears.

I loved her first when she was young
Enchanting and vibrant, eternally new
She was brilliant, fragrant and cool
As the morning dew.

I fell in love with her the second time
When first she bore her child and mine
Always by my side, the source of my strength
Helping to turn the tide.

But there were candles to burn
The world was my concern
While our home was her domain
And the people were mine
While the children were hers to maintain.

So it was in those eighteen years and a day
Till I was detained
Forced in prison to stay.

Suddenly she’s our sole support
Source of comfort
Our wellspring of hope
On her shoulders fell the burden of life.

I fell in love again
With the same woman the third time
Looming from the battle
Her courage will never fade.

Amidst the hardships she has remained
Undaunted and unafraid
She is calm, composed
She is God’s lovely maid.

Lyrics: Ninoy Aquino
Music: Jose Mari Chan

A courageous woman. A splendid mother. A loyal wife.
You ran a difficult race,
You walked a thousand miles,
But you fought a good fight.
And now, it's finally time for you to rest and be at peace.

WE WILL MISS YOU, PRESIDENT CORY.



12 Things To Remember by Cory


We grieve because today will be the last time that we will see Cory. We grieve because deep in our hearts, we real­ized that we just lost a great soul.

Yes, some of us prob­a­bly do not agree on her pol­i­tics. Some would even say that her admin­is­tra­tion was a fail­ure. Yet, we all agree that, in that moment in our His­tory, we were led by some­one who exem­pli­fied what the Fil­ipino really stands for.

We stand for full wor­ship and faith with God. Cory was every­thing Fil­ipino. Some of us would say, Cory has this near fatal­is­tic atti­tude, sim­i­lar to many of us. Yet, every­one agrees that, Cory was never a fatal­ist. Her strong faith in God was what made her utter words that every­one, espe­cially those who face tough­est chal­lenges, nor­mally invoke, ” Bahala na”.

We are nat­ural Samar­i­tans. Inher­ent within us is that genetic char­ac­ter of help­ing oth­ers in need. Cory was the First among us to do the right things.

We are an hon­est and hon­or­able peo­ple. And we always do the right things.

Today, we bid farewell to the one per­son that, through her life, taught us how to really live. We say our good­byes to a per­son who, through her own life, directed us to do good things and with excel­lence. We say our final greet­ings to a per­son who taught us that being Fil­ipino is never shame­ful and what we must be ashamed of is if we for­get our “Filipino-ness” and allowed evil to reign.

Today, I write the learn­ings I believe God wanted us to know from Cory’s exam­ple. Remem­ber her by being like her. In our own sim­ple ways, do things, the Cory Way.

Kartilya ni Tita Cory (The Cory Way)

1. Mahalin natin ang Dios ng higit sa ating sar­ili. (Love God above oneself)

2. Tulun­gan natin ang ating kapwa-tao bilang pagsamba sa Dios. ( Wor­ship God by help­ing others.)

3. Mag­bi­gay galang sa ating mga mag­u­lang at sa mga nakatatanda sa atin. (Respect one’s par­ents and those who are ahead of us in age.)

4. Igalang natin ang ating kapwa gaya ng pag­galang natin sa ating Dios at sa ating sar­ili. (Respect oth­ers as we respect our God and our own selves.)

5. Gawin natin ng tama at may husay ang mga bagay na ating ipinan­gakong gagawin. (Do all the right things we vowed to do and with excellence)

6. Gawin natin ang tama at makatarun­gan sa kabila ng kasamaan. (Do the right things and justly inspite of evil.)

7. Mag­ing ilaw tayo sa mga taong nalil­i­his ng lan­das. (Be the Light for others.)

8. Kung tayo’y manunungku­lan sa ser­bisyo ng Inang Bayan, gawin natin ang karapat-dapat nang walang pagi­im­bot at may tibay sa kat­a­p­atan. (If we serve the Moth­er­land, do the right things with utmost resolve and honesty.)

9. Kung tayo’y nasasa pam­pub­likong pasyalan, huwag nat­ing pitasin ni isang talu­lot ng bulak­lak. (If we go to pub­lic parks, do not even pluck a petal from a flower.)

10. Mag­ing dak­ila sa pag­gawa ng kabu­ti­han at ialay natin ang ating mga sar­ili sa paglil­ingkod sa nakararami. (Honor your­self by doing good and sac­ri­fice your­self to the ser­vice of the People.)

11. Sundin natin ang tama at makatarun­gan at talik­dan ang mga bagay na makasasama sa karami­han. (Obey what is right and just and deter from doing bad things that might harm others.)

12. Itama natin ang mali at gaw­ing tama ang pag­gawa ng katarun­gan sa lahat ng pana­hon. ( Rec­tify the wrongs and it is always right to do things with jus­tice every sin­gle time.)