Former vice president Leni Robredo said on Monday, Aug. 1, that Filipinos should not forget the legacy of the late president Cory Aquino as “a woman of firsts” who led the fight for democracy.
“President Cory stood as the symbol of hope and possibilities, answering the call to serve our nation in a most consequential time,” she wrote on Facebook.
Her post was accompanied by a photo of her beside a large portrait of the democracy icon.
Robredo spoke about what Aquino meant to her and to Filipinos in commemoration of the latter’s 13th death anniversary.
“We must not forget the crucial role that she played as a woman of firsts, leading the Filipino people through the birthing pains of a democracy with grace and quiet strength,” she added.
Most Filipinos remember Cory as Ninoy Aquino’s widow; a woman leader who led the People Power Revolution; the first female president of the Philippines and in Asia; and as the “Mother of Democracy” in the region.
READ: PH marks Cory Aquino’s 13th death anniversary
While recognizing the “tumultuous years” that followed Aquino’s presidency, Robredo emphasized how her faith must serve as an inspiration “amid the many challenges that we face as a nation” and what the nation can achieve “when we stand in solidarity.”
The Aquino family, together with supporters, commemorated Cory’s death anniversary by holding a virtual Mass that was celebrated by Fr. Ricky C. Montañez and aired live on the Facebook page of Ninoy & Cory Aquino Foundation at 5 p.m. on Monday.
Aquino died on Aug. 1, 2009, after years of battling colon cancer. At that time, her son, the late president Benigno Aquino III, said her body was too weak to continue therapy.
As her husband’s death catapulted her to the presidency, so did her death push the younger Noynoy Aquino to run for president.
And although her presidency was mired with economic and political upheavals, her death was mourned by millions of Filipinos, thousands of whom lined up to the Manila Cathedral where her wake was held and poured into the streets to rain yellow confetti on her hours-long funeral procession to the Manila Memorial Park.