subject: It Took One Cory Aquino to Fathom What Her Aspirations and Battles Mean to Me As a Filipino [print this page] It Took One Cory Aquino to Fathom What Her Aspirations and Battles Mean to Me As a Filipino
At a very young age of seven, I was one of those who sang in so many times patriotic songs like Pilipinas Kong Mahal and Ang Bagong Silang, aside from the Lupang Hinirang our national anthem. I was also among the many tots lining in front of a raised flag reciting Panatang Makabayan (and another one, I could not recall anymore). Well, this was the common scene every 7:30 AM in every public school, on Monday to Friday during those times.
But as young as we were, yes, we were still kids, we only knew that these songs and declarations expressed love and admiration for the only country we have. That time, we only knew the meaning of each word, line and paragraph as explained by our social studies teachers; but as far as practicing what these songs and declarations were telling us as Filipinos, as far as I am concerned, it was only today that I had known the true meaning of being a makabayan; of being one loving and loyal to the Philippines. It maybe shocking and painful to admit, but this just happened after watching a television coverage of the death of the first lady President of the Philippines Corazon "Cory" C. Aquino. I would really say "Thank You, Tita Cory" from the bottom of my heart.
Today is a very sad day for all Filipinos, because we lost Cory Aquino, one of the country's strongest pillars, the forerunner of democracy. Speaking of which, going back to the patriotic songs and recitations back when I was still in the elementary and high school, that in one way or another, many kids just "parroted" so to get through a day in school, democracy is another word or aspect that most Filipinos always talk about but maybe not really understand the essence of it - and that includes me. Not until after I watched television about Cory Aquino.
I was only in high school when she, Cory Aquino became president and her struggle to the presidency and a battle to end a very, overly extended term of then President Ferdinand Marcos was not very easy. But with conviction and determination, she drew courage from the Filipinos' overwhelming support so much so from her own family, the widow was triumphant for the first time. She served the government and the Filipino people in a very simple but resilient way even though her term as president was stormed with unpleasant happenings, man-made or not. If there were sad times, there were also happy times and events to be proud of when she was President. These made her an icon of strength and freedom not only in the Philippine, but around the globe. Then again for the second time, the widow had triumphed. She was able to complete her term with dignity, pride and grace. Qualities only a woman can have.
So how do all these relate to my realization? Simply, love of country is what Cory showed all of us - being selfless. Actually, I realized that in our lifetime, we can only do so much such that we should make it a point to live not only to the fullest but also to live with meaning so that we will be able to leave something to our kids, to our friends and to country. Sometimes, we will be faced with circumstances where we would make major decisions and in so doing, there will only be three things that we need to remember to know if this is a priority at the moment or not and these three things, I just learned from Cory, which I also believe she learned and shared with her husband, Senator Ninoy are; first is love of God, second is love for country and third is love for family. Truly, a trademark of a person who is selfless. The widow, for the third time triumphed again, in me particularly. Because even in her death, she did not only unite every Filipino in the country and across the globe but also inspired and opened the eyes of many, including myself, to what she had been aspiring and fighting for from the start, for the country and for the Filipinos.
All these made me realized why, even as a nurse that I am, I was not able to leave the country, had followed a different path and finding my way to help my fellow men in my own simple way. If I can use the theme of the television's coverage "Salamat Cory", this I could say and will always tell her for the rest of my existence. Thank you Cory, for today, I can already call me a true writer when I publish this very first article of mine in the net for all people to read and be inspired with. Thank you very much our beloved Cory, the inspiration and thank you, for the gift of democracy and freedom that each of us have today. You will always be fondly remembered.
