ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines -- Former President Corazon Aquino was not just a commander-in-chief to the Armed Forces of the Philippines, but was also a mother figure to low-ranking officers and enlisted personnel.

?Tita Cory was more like a mother to us than a typical Commander-in-Chief,? said Army Colonel Santiago Baluyot, chief of Task Force Zamboanga.

Baluyot was assigned as one of Mrs. Aquino's close-in security from April 1986 until her term ended in 1992.

?She immediately got our respect and admiration,? Baluyot said.

He said serving Aquino ?allowed us ordinary soldiers to appreciate the simplest life she lived. Even if she was then the country's highest leader, she was so simple and very family-oriented."

?From Malacañang, she immediately went to Arlegui for her kids? she always had time for her children,? Baluyot said, referring to the guesthouse inside the Palace compound where Mrs. Aquino stayed during her presidency.

He said Mrs. Aquino was a person who worked for the people ?but never compromised her time with her growing children.?

When her Presidency was under attack in 1987, Baluyot said, he did not see Mrs. Aquino ?buckle or tremble.?

?She was so calm; she talked to the troops directly and never showed any anger or fear. She was like a mother telling her children to be strong, have faith and always unite, and her actions were very deliberate and strong,? Baluyot said.

?She assumed power as an ordinary person, stepped down after her term and still identified with ordinary people, and up to her death, she remained with the ordinary people. Sana may isa pang katulad niya [Hopefully, there will be another one like her]," he added.