Before 'Yes We Can' became the hallmark phrase in America's
recent history, 'People Power' was the motto for the movement
that not only removed a dictatorship, but antiquated notions of
what a woman's role was in the Phillipines. Corazon Aquino
made that possible. She took her last breath this past Saturday
after a year long fight against colon cancer. Aquino (or Tita Cory
to many) was at first a reluctant politician, inheriting that role
along with the role of widow after the assasination of
Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., her husband in 1983. Over the
next three years, she spearheaded a nationwide movement
against the corrupt dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos that
was characterized by the sign for laban, or 'fight' and the color
yellow. Marcos was ousted in 1986 after a failed attempt to steal the
election from Aquino. She only served six years as the first
female president of the Phillipines but her impact changed a
nation and captured the attention of the world.
Rest in peace Tita Cory.
Corazon Aquino's Speech before Congress (Part 1)