Corazon C. Aquino

Corazon Aquino and Democracy in the Philippines.

Corazon C. Aquino

(Born- January 25, 1933)

Seventh and First Woman President of the Republic of the Philippines

(Term: February 25, 1986- June 30, 1992)

Corazon Aquino was a political leader and president from (1986 to 1992) of the Philippines.

In 1983 she succeeded her husband and senator, Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. as leader of the opposition to then president Ferdinand Marcos. Aquino was assassinated in the same year at the then Manila International Airport following his arrival from the US where he stayed for seven years.

No one could have imagined that Mrs. Aquino would become president, the first woman to lead the country after Marcos was ousted in a military-backed popular revolt that she spearheaded in 1986. When Marcos called for a presidential election in February 1986, Mrs. Aquino became the unified opposition's candidate. Although she was officially reported to have lost the election to Marcos, Aquino and her supporters challenged the results, charging widespread voting fraud. High officials in the Philippine military soon publicly renounced Marcos’ continued rule and proclaimed Aquino the Philippines rightful president. On Feb. 25, 1986, both Aquino and Marcos were inaugurated as president by their respective supporters but that same day Marcos fled the country.  Mrs. Aquino has been diagnosed with colon cancer early in 2008 and has been confined at the Makati Medical Center for more than a month. Mrs. Aquino, widow of Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., will be remembered as an icon of democracy, having led a military-backed popular revolt in 1986 that ousted a dictator who ruled the country for 20 years.

At about 5 a.m. outside the hospital, Noynoy read a statement announcing the death of his mother.

The statement read:"Our mother peacefully passed away at 3:18 a.m., August 1, 2009, of cardio-respiratory arrest. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo expressed her condolences to the family of the former President, Arroyo's press secretary said.The President is set to declare a week of national mourning, said Press Secretary Cerge Remonde in a live phone patch from the US where he is accompanying Arroyo who is on official visit there

Mrs. Aquino, who became recognized worldwide as an icon of democracy after millions of people against the Marcos administration placed her in power during the 1986 EDSA revolution, earlier received prayers for her recovery from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Pope Benedict XVI. US Ambassador Kristie Kenney said she delivered Clinton’s personal letter to Mrs. Aquino’s family Thursday, and later attended a healing Mass for the 76-year-old democracy icon. In Vatican City, the Pope expressed his “spiritual closeness” to Mrs. Aquino after learning of her condition from Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, according to an article posted on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Web site.

Corazon C.Aquino a hero and one of the greatest president live.