racoma.netI love to write. I write to live. I live to love.

I was born in tough times. I was barely in preschool when Ninoy Aquino was assassinated. I had only stepped into elementary school at the heat of the 1986 People Power Revolution in EDSA and the subsequent installment of Ninoy’s widow, Cory, as president. And so Cory Aquino was the first president I ever knew. And while one usually studies Cory in history classes through schools, I must say it’s only now that she has passed on that I really got to know who she was and what she stood for.

Cory Aquino passed away this August 1st, which was a first Saturday, after several months’ battle with colon cancer. In a way, I must say I knew (as most most people probably feared) that sooner or later she would be passing on. No disrespect meant to those who have offered prayers for her recovery, but I believe that when it’s your time, it’s your time. I have experienced this firsthand, when my infant son, Michael, inexplicably died in the early morning of October 3rd, 2007. For that reason, I have come to view death not as the end of life, but as part of it, which everyone goes through, and should prepare for.

By preparing for death and dying, I do not mean living life as if it were moot and useless, because we all die anyway. Rather, I mean living every day as if it were your last, as if you don’t have another shot at things, as if you don’t have another opportunity to redo everything. Therefore one should live the best life you can live, by being the best you can be, and by trying to make sure everyone else is better off.

A tough core, steel will, and strong faith

When one learns about Cory Aquino from the history books and from the school curriculum, one would probably be taught how she was instrumental in reestablishing democracy and democratic institutions in the Philippines after several decades of dictatorial rule by Ferdinand Marcos. One would probably read how she was a reluctant figure in all of this. She didn’t want to be thrust into the limelight, but history has proved otherwise. In the few years after her husband was assassinated, she was viewed as the best champion for forwarding the fight against the tyranny of the Marcoses. She championed the cause of uniting the opposition, and ran head on against the strongman. She succeeded in driving away the dictator from power, with the aid of millions of people marching in the streets.

However, now reading and watching personal accounts of people close to Cory, I realize that she has accomplished these with two things. One is by having a very strong will and determination. Another is by having faith in God.

Cory Aquino’s administration was challenged by nine coups d’etat. Most of these were bloody, and I do have faint recollections of these events in my youth (at that time we lived near one former military base where rebels cooped up). Her administration was marred by human abuse complaints against the military. Her administration was eternally challenged with having to clean up the accumulated messes that her predecessor has ingrained into institutions of governance and even the very core of society. Cory’s administration had inherited a burgeoning national debt that she was even advised to repudiate. There were numerous other headaches she likely faced on a daily basis.

In all these, tough decisions had to be made. One would probably underestimate Mrs. Aquino, who has even proclaimed herself to be a simple housewife. But then, as her friends and former colleagues in government would say, she had a tough core. She had a will of steel. Being human, she probably wasn’t perfect. She probably made a few mistakes here and there. But she tried. And she was honest. And she was unwavering in her determination and commitment to a cause, once she has started it.

All this Cory did while being prayerful and trusting both in higher authority and in the common person. She probably felt fear in her heart whenever she faced insurmountable challenges (many of which probably meant physical harm to her and her loved ones), but the real courage is recognizing these fears, having faith that one can overcome these, and actually addressing fear straight-on.

Cory also recognized that the power she held was not earned or claimed by her own doing, but rather granted by higher power, and facilitated through ordinary human beings. Cory understood that she was given the reins of governing the country as a temporary and transitional measure, and that her real job was to effectively and successfully use the very democratic institutions she helped revitalize and reestablish to peacefully turn over power to the next set of leaders (deserving or not). She could have held on to power. Power, after all, is addicting. But she chose not to. She had faith in the people.

The essence of People Empowerment

Cory’s detractors, and those who have lost faith in the concept of People Power, have repeatedly claimed that the essence and the message of the People Power revolution have been lost in our population that is seemingly largely apathetic. Corruption is still widespread. Poverty is still a very serious problem. This is a looming issue, in light of the national elections due in May of 2010. That is if there will be an election at all, given talks of possible charter change, which might be instrumental in perpetuating the political hold of those in power.

But I think the relevance of Cory’s passing away and its timing is that it’s a wake up call to all of us. Perhaps she can only go so far in her life. Perhaps she has done all she could, and all in her power. In the last years of her life, she was said to be advocating micro-finance. With this advocacy, I see again her trust in the people. Who said the poor are helpless people who only needed dole-outs? I think Cory saw the need to empower people to help themselves. As it is said: Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day, but teach him to fish, and he will never be hungry for a day. People Power is not about running out in the streets in angry protest. Rather, people power is being empowered in every day of your life to be able to do something relevant and helpful both to yourself and your fellow citizens.

In my mind, Cory’s message is this: Yes, we can. And yes, we should.

In this regard, I think it’s time for me to be involved. For most of my life, I have been largely apolitical. I have never voted in my life. In fact, I am not a registered voter. I have served in government, but my experience with the bureaucracy (yes, even personally observing the incumbent president in action) has made me feels distasteful and hopeless about governance. Perhaps now is the time to start being really involved.

The concept of People Power has taught me that I am empowered, in whatever little way. As one in new media, I may not have a big a voice as those who own newspapers, or as those in elected positions. But in my own way, I can make a difference, and contribute to the betterment of society. I can start small, for instance, by being more green, such as reducing fuel consumption, and having a smaller carbon footprint. I can start by being a more responsible small business owner. I can start by actually registering and voting, and even campaigning for the people I think can make a bigger, better difference. And I can start by nudging those within my sphere of influence to also help spread the word about people empowerment.

Small things add up to more significant things, just like each and every one of those millions who had massed up in EDSA in 1986 to show support for the overthrow of the dictatorship. The same goes for each person among the tens of thousands who have shown up at Cory Aquino’s wake and procession from Greenhills to Manila Cathedral.

Cory’s life and death has taught me to more responsible. And I think this is what she would like to impart upon us. That is her legacy. I thank her for that.

Image credits: Cory Aquino: flickr/koronadal. Flowers at Aquino Residence on Times St.: Author’s own