I didn’t know her personally, but had two short encounters in my years of covering SEA economies. She rose to prominence after the assassination of her husband, Benigno ‘Ninoy’ Aquino Jr in 1983, took the reins of one of the world's most volatile nations.
To me, she was a simple lady, with strong inspiration for her country. She wanted to make her country proud, standing at par with rest of its neighbors, and the people’s standard of living uplifted. In one of my meetings in the Philippines many years ago, she had demonstrated to me that she had the ability to win the hearts and minds of even her most formidable adversaries through dialogue and persuasion.
Corazon was an incredible individual. Her philosophy for life encompassed a whole range of topics, from politics to religion, an advocate for her strong Catholic faith.
I strongly believe that she will continue to be symbol of democracy in the Philippines – the democracy she helped install 23 years ago. The yellow colour, her favourite one, will remain the colour symbol of the non-violent after decades of brutal ditactorship – a rejection of violence and intolerance.
Like Ghandi, she will be remembered in the Philippines. Let us now unite in prayer for Cory. I have hugged the hope that in this woman will be the unquestioned leader and, having thus found her place in human evolution.
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