Tying a Yellow Ribbon

I’ve never been a fan of Cory Aquino. I always disagree whenever the media give her an undue praise as if she was an immaculate person. Like what the media doing now that she died recently. Media agencies tend to gloss over her achievements and leave out those that may reveal her imperfections. I believe that what they are doing is wrong. Cory Aquino is as broken as we all are. Just focusing on her achievements doesn’t give justice to her memory that she left to all of us.

Yes, Cory stood up against the Marcoses and help in ending their tyranny. Her stand during the People Power Revolution paved the way for the return of the democracy in the country and kept the country from being transferred from one tyrant (Ferdinand Marcos) to another tyrants (Fidel Ramos and Juan Ponce Enrile about their failed coup d’etat). President Cory became the hope of the many Filipinos during those turbulent years and prevented a bloody event from happening.
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However, those facts will never be enough to gloss over her misgivings. During her administration, her family and her clan received an undue advantage and power. The old cronies of the Marcoses were replaced by the new cronies and the old system continued. Her administration can brag of instituting the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law, but her clan is also the one who disobeyed it. As of this moment, Hacienda Luisita is still at the hands of its landlords and the farmers are still working like slaves. It was also in her administration that many farmers were massacred in Mendiola.

What I truly admire with Cory Aquino is her strong faith. In my mind, I always associate the former president with praying. The reason for this is that she is the only president who always reminds the people of the power of prayer for all the problems that our country is facing. She always asks the Filipino people to not to forget God and ask for His help.

I admire her for this because she keeps on advocating the Faith even in the midst of the unbelieving world. Even if it is already taboo to the so-called intellectuals that castigated her for her belief in God. For her, God is everything that is even at the end of her life, she never ceased believing in God.

President Aquino is not a perfect person. Her presidency is also an imperfect one. And I hope that the media portray her as such. Our imperfections are not a thing to be ashamed of. It is a God who give us the grace of perfection and grant as the title of sainthood. The media and the public have no authority for such things.

I am no Cory fan and I did not believe her when she was alive – but I also join the great multitude of Filipino in tying the yellow ribbon in honor of her life. An imperfect but a valuable life.

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P.S. I pray to God that He forgive all of Cory Aquino’s sins. May the Lord grant her entry to His heavenly kingdom. May also all the people that she hurt in any way forgive her and leave to God all her misgivings.