A nation, like an individual, experiences turning points in life, some of them major, some of them minor, some significant, some not so significant. There are turning points that change the course completely. At a point in history, our nation was desperate for a major, significant change. We wanted a new direction, we wanted freedom!
I was 15 then when it all happened. I still remember that the city was yellow. There were thousands who wore yellow shirts, yellow banners, yellow head gears. As a kid I was trying to figure out what was happening. I understood little. But what I remembered in my teen mind was that something special was happening in our country.
The good Lord raised Cory Aquino, a widow and mother, to lead a restless nation to the change that they longed for. The amazing thing about that turning point, that revolution that toppled a 20 year regime, was not the fact that it was successful, but the fact that it was peaceful. The whole world took notice and the world was inspired. Change can happen without violence!
I will personally remember President Cory Aquino because of her willingness to step up when the situation demanded it. She felt the cry of the hearts of millions, who wanted change and freedom! Of course she was not the only player in the revolution, there were others. One of which also became a president, Fidel V. Ramos. Thank God for the other people who played critical roles.
The city is once again yellow because Tita Cory has passed away last August 1, 2009. Today is the internment. The nation mourns. We are sad because she is gone. But we are also happy because we are thankful for her life. She will always be remembered as a leader of character and courage.
The silent cries of our nation for change found expression in 1986. The discontent could not be contained. The need for major change was never stronger. Change came. We arose as a people and made history by making the turning point we wanted to happen. And at the forefront of this turning point, the one leading us at that time, the hero that we will predominantly remember, was Tita Cory.
Thank you Tita Cory, we will never forget you.
