For Tita Cory
elisabeth baumgart
inkblots
FOR the past weeks, the streets of Manila were painted yellow.
Yellow ribbons of all shapes and sizes were tied around streetlights, fences, trees, posts, side view mirrors and antennas of cars, and bridges and walkways.
When news spread that former President Corazon “Cory” Aquino has passed on, people came out in waves of outpouring support, wearing yellow t-shirts, yellow ribbons and yellow pins.
Streamers and banners appeared out of nowhere, and people went out to the streets bidding their final farewell to the former president and thanking her for having done so much for the country.
On the day of her passing, I woke up to several text messages from my mentor and a close friend. Both told me that the country’s icon of democracy had died.
I was not yet born in 1986 nor was I around during the EDSA revolution.
I only heard stories of hope and people power, stories from those who were there and from fellow young leaders who were young enough to remember the incident. I read of EDSA from my history textbooks.
Aside from knowing what the textbooks said, I knew of Tita Cory as a woman of strength and courage.
Tita Cory was a loving mother and wife. She was the mother of not only five children, but of millions of Filipinos across the globe who all hungered for democracy. In the country, she was the mother of democracy.
Her kind of moral leadership is what the country has always needed.
She led the country towards democracy, leading with moral values and with strength only a mother could possess.
She was a nurturing leader, who looked out for us Filipinos as if we were her own flesh and blood.
Learning of her stories, I always wanted to meet Tita Cory.
And finally, I did meet her.
I met Tita Cory last Aug. 2 at La Salle, Greenhills. She looked so peaceful and serene. And seeing her, knowing what she stands for, what she has done for the country and knowing her deep love for the Philippines, it just makes me want to do more for the country and try to follow her example of moral leadership.
Hundreds of thousands came to visit Tita Cory, to pay their last respects to the former President. From the rich to the poor, from the young to the elderly, thousands braved the long lines, the endless wait, the unpredictable weather to bid farewell to a beloved leader.
While it may be difficult to find a woman like Tita Cory, who loved her country and its people to her very last breath, we all just hope that we have learned a lot from her. That we would try to follow her path of moral leadership and unwavering love for the Philippines.
And now, as you rest Tita Cory, we all just wish to thank you. Thank you, for your love and care. Thank you, for touching our lives.