MANILA, Philippines -- There was an outpouring of prayer, sympathy and support for former president Corazon Aquino from ordinary folks amid news on Tuesday that the icon of People Power was stricken with colon cancer.

For many of them, Aquino should get well because they believed she could still do so much more for the country.

Teresa Calo, a government employee, said that her first reaction to the news was to pray that Aquino will be nursed back to health as soon as possible.

She said she saw Aquino’s illness as such a misfortune because she has done so much to unify the Filipinos.

Like Calo, Marvin Asis, who is a teenage bass drum player for a drum and lyre group, said all the hope represented by the former President was somehow watered down by the news that she was stricken with a deadly ailment.

He said if Aquino would be given a longer life despite her cancer, she would have a longer time helping Filipinos.

Calo said she immediately sympathized with the democracy icon since her mother was also diagnosed with cervical cancer a few years ago.

“We feel for her. We know what she must be going through. Let’s hope for a miracle for her,” she said.

Sultan Lao, a 68-year-old retired soldier, could only describe his reaction upon hearing the sad news about Aquino as one of shock.

“I feel sad. I prayed,” Lao said.

Lao was so affected by the news, he said, that he even found himself thinking about the former president’s condition as he went about his errands.

And like the rest of the Filipinos who were shocked with the news of Aquino’s illness, he wished that she be restored to health soon.

Television viewers greeted the news with anger and regret.

One viewer said it was tragic that Aquino, who had done so much good for the country, should suffer such illness while other political figures deserved to be punished for their corrupt ways.

Caroline Liwanag Cruz, an overseas Filipino worker in Pasig City, said she cried when she heard the news that Aquino had cancer.

“Why does it have to happen to Cory? It’s unfair. There are some thieves out there who deserve to have cancer. I hope she gets well,” Cruz said in Filipino.

Another viewer said the news was bad timing as Aquino was one of the public figures who have spoken strongly against corruption. “I hope it will not stop her from continuing her advocacy,” the viewer said.

Jane Nunag was instantly sympathetic upon learning that Aquino had cancer.

Not only did the 38-year-old high school teacher feel bad for the icon of people power, the news also left her concerned for her own family.

"I was sad when I watched the news. My mother is the same age as her. They were both born in 1932," she said. Aquino is 75.

"I'm going to pray for her," she told the Inquirer, as she waited for a ride on Ayala Avenue in Makati.

Nunag, who hails from Pampanga, said she did not always agree with Aquino's politics, but she wished the former president would get better soon.

"She has always seemed to be a kind person," she said of Aquino.

As for her family, Nunag will serve them food rich in fiber to help with their bowel movement, and hopefully help spare them of the ailment that now afflicts Aquino.

"I teach this in school, so I'm a little familiar with colon cancer," she said.

Messenger Glenn Mediano said Aquino's ailment was a concern for every Filipino.

"I have great respect for her, and hope she'll make it," the 37-year-old said in Filipino. "She was a good President."

But not everybody was that sympathetic.

"She has money for medicines. Many people die without getting any treatment at all,” said Vilma Zurbano, a 35-year-old food vendor. "She is rich and has a lot of land she can sell (to finance her treatment).”

"I hope she finds forgiveness in her heart for the Aquino-Galman double murder case suspects," said Ronald Zacarias, a 40-year-old businessman.

But those two were the rare exceptions the Inquirer encountered in man-in-the-street interviews.

"I felt really sad when I heard about it. She's the best President we've ever had," nurse Brian Eduardo Yu said.