Corazon Aquino

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Corazón Aquino

President of the Philippines

María Corazón "Cory" Sumúlong Cojuangco Aquino (January 25, 1933 – August 1,
2009) was the 11th President of the Philippines and the first woman to hold such office.
Aquino was also the first popularly and democratically-elected female president and head
of state in Asia.[1][2][3] Aquino is best remembered for leading the 1986 EDSA People
Power Revolution, which toppled the authoritarian regime of the late strongman
Ferdinand Marcos and restored democracy in the Philippines. Cory, as she is
affectionately known, is considered and revered by many Filipinos as the Philippines'
Icon of Democracy. She has been hailed by TIME Magazine as the 'Saint of Democracy,'
due to her well-known spiritual life and strong adherence to non-violence and democracy.

A self-proclaimed "plain housewife",[4] Aquino was married to Senator Benigno Aquino,

Jr., the popular opposition leader and staunchest critic of then President Ferdinand
Marcos, who was assassinated on August 21, 1983 upon returning to the Philippines after
his exile in the United States.

After her husband's assassination, the widowed Aquino became the unwilling and
reluctant leader of the opposition against the authoritarian rule of the Marcos regime. She
united the fragmented opposition and strengthened its moral crusade against the abuses
and excesses of President Marcos' martial rule. In late 1985, when President Marcos
called for a snap election, Cory Aquino was called upon by the people to challenge his
regime. Reluctant at first, Aquino thrust herself into the political arena after one million
signatures urging her to run for president were presented to her.

Despite having no prior political experience, except being her husband Ninoy's wife,
Aquino proved to be a charismatic leader, inspiring orator and skilled campaigner. She
ran for president with former senator Salvador Laurel as her vice-presidential running
mate. When the Marcos allies-dominated Batasang Pambansa proclaimed Ferdinand
Marcos as the winner in the 1986 Snap Presidential Elections, Cory called for massive
civil disobedience protests against him, declaring herself as having been cheated and as
the real winner in the elections. Filipinos enthusiastically heeded her call and rallied
behind her. These series of events eventually led to the ouster of Marcos from power and
the installation of Aquino as president of the Philippines in February 1986, an event
which is now known as the historic 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution.

Now in power, Aquino oversaw the restoration of democracy in the Philippines and the
promulgation of a new constitution, which limited the powers of the presidency and
established a bicameral legislature. Her administration gave strong emphasis and concern
for civil liberties and human rights, peace talks and dialogues with communist insurgents
and Muslim secessionists. Aquino's economic policies, meanwhile, centered on bringing
back economic health and confidence and focused on creating a market-oriented and
socially-responsible economy. Despite these achievements, Aquino's presidency was not
smooth-sailing as she had to face series of nine coup attempts against her administration
and destructive natural calamities and disasters, which she was able to weather and
survive until the end of her term in 1992.

After her term expired in 1992, Aquino returned to private life although she remained
active in the public eye, constantly voicing her views and opinions on the pressing
political issues in the country. In 2008, Aquino was diagnosed with colon cancer and
after a one-year battle with the disease, she died on August 1, 2009.