MANILA, Philippines??I never thought we would still be marching on these streets 26 years later.?

Thus said Cesar Buenaventura, president of the Benigno Aquino Jr. Foundation, when he was asked how he felt about Monday?s crowd that assembled on Ayala Avenue to bid farewell to former President Corazon ?Cory? Aquino.

?Who would have thought we would still be fighting today?? said Buenaventura, who used to head the local unit of petroleum giant Pilipinas Shell and was one of Aquino?s economic advisers.

He recalled that the funeral cortege of the former President?s husband, Ninoy Aquino, was prohibited from passing through Makati in 1983, unlike Monday?s event where Cory was welcomed with open arms in the streets.

Buenaventura noted, however, that there was symmetry in how the end of Cory?s journey would pass by one of the places where it started

?In 1984 and 1985, Makati became the protest venue,? he said. ?Cory launched her campaign for the presidency on the streets of Ayala and Paseo de Roxas.?

SONA reruns

Buenaventura also pointed out incredulously that government-run television stations were broadcasting reruns of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo?s State of the Nation Address (SONA) as people lined the streets to pay tribute to Cory as the truck carrying her remains passed by.

?This is very much like how [the Marcos administration] behaved back then,? he said.

Apart from SONA reruns, one government TV station was airing a state-sponsored ?Concert at the Park? program as Cory?s remains arrived at Manila Cathedral.

Another active participant during the protest marches of the 1980s, Ortigas & Co. president Rex Drilon II said the nature of the yellow confetti that rained down on Ayala Avenue Monday was very different from that of over two decades ago.

Expression of anger, love

?While the confetti from 1983 to 1986 were expressions of anger, frustration and loss of confidence, the confetti that rained today on Ayala were expressions of love, affection and a great sense of loss and sadness,? he said.

Drilon said it remained to be seen whether Monday?s outpouring of support for Cory could become a trigger for change.

?The Filipino people have been desensitized and have become accustomed to corruption, human rights violations and in-your-face management style, and are suffering from unpopular and insensitive leaders,? he said.

Drilon said the death of a well-loved leader would make a lot of people think whether ?they will continue to settle for arrogant, ineffective and incompetent governance or prod them to take positive steps to deliver the message??tama na, sobra na??and act on it.?

Another 1980s-era protest marcher, Alberto Lim, Makati Business Club executive director, said confetti were showered by office workers then to bless the anti-Marcos movement.

?Today, it was to bless Cory on her way to a better life,? he said.

?Then, it was in protest of a despotic regime,? Lim added. ?Today, it was to bid farewell to the only person who could unify a divided nation to bring down that regime.?

Stocks up

As the convoy carrying the remains of the former President neared the Philippines Stock Exchange (PSE) in Makati, stocks crept up as if paying silent tribute to the acclaimed ?Mother of Philippine Democracy.?

Paul Joseph Garcia, ING Philippines chief investment officer, couldn?t help but notice the parallelism as he briefly left the office to catch a glimpse of the late President?s convoy along Ayala Avenue shortly before noon.

At the end of the day, the PSE index was up by 1.31 percent to 2,835.11.

The PSE also opened the trading week with a prayer tribute on both Makati and Pasig trading floors to the former President.

The PSE also announced it would suspend trading on Wednesday as it would join the whole nation in prayer during Aquino?s burial.