MANILA, Philippines?Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile Monday offered a prayer and tribute to former President Corazon Aquino, asking her family for ?forbearance for my words and actions which may have hurt or caused them pain.?

Enrile, defense minister under the Marcos dictatorship, was a major player in the four-day People Power revolt that ousted Ferdinand Marcos and swept Aquino to power in 1986. But he and Aquino soon parted ways.

Enrile and Sen. Gregorio ?Gringo? Honasan, his then military aide and leader of a group of rebel soldiers that triggered the EDSA 1 revolt, went on to lead several coup attempts against the Aquino administration.

In his tribute during Monday?s Senate session, Enrile touched on his relationship with Aquino, conceding that their ?sharp differences developed into doubt and distrust, and we parted ways both hurt and embittered.?

?This is neither the time nor the occasion to revive recriminations and reopen the wounds of the past,? Enrile, who served as Aquino?s defense secretary, said in the prayer he read for her.

?Yet, I have always held her in the highest regard as a gentle lady, a leader with a strong faith and quiet dignity,? he said.

Enrile put some historical bits on the record. ?After succeeding in making President Marcos realize that it was time to go, we had to fight and conquer many demons, foremost of which was the prodding of many for us to take power and control over the country.?

?But I said ?No.? Power was not a prize which we sought to win and to wield with the silent rebellion we started in 1982,? he said.

For his part, Honasan led the ratification in the Senate of the reconciled Senate-House version of the five-year extension of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, the flagship program of Aquino?s administration.

Enrile and Honasan, however, indicated they would not go to the wake for Aquino so as not to ?open old wounds? or politicize the situation while the nation mourns her death.

Honasan said: ?I think praying for her and her family and the country should be done in private. We don?t want to politicize her passing.?

Asked if he had any regrets for his past actions, Honasan did not reply, reiterating that he would continue to pray for Aquino.