MANILA, Philippines?A monument to the much-loved late President Corazon Aquino will be unveiled in Manila on Monday, her 77th birth anniversary.

It is the first memorial shrine honoring Aquino, or simply Cory to the Filipino people, according to its sculptor Eduardo Castrillo.

Castrillo made the country?s first statue of Aquino?s husband, Sen. Benigno ?Ninoy? Aquino Jr. in Concepcion, Tarlac, as well as another Ninoy statue at the People Power monument on EDSA (Epifanio delos Santos Avenue).

The newly unveiled 15-foot bronze statue of Cory stands beside a statue of Ninoy (not by Castrillo) on Roxas Boulevard and Padre Burgos Drive across from the historic Manila Hotel.

It shows the country?s first woman president flashing the ?Laban!? (Fight!) sign with her right hand and holding up the 1987 Constitution with the other.

In front of the two monuments is a sign that reads, ?Ninoy-Cory Aquino, Salamat po.?

The project was personally commissioned by Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim.

Castrillo said Lim originally wanted a statue of Aquino simply flashing the ?Laban!? sign.

?But I told him that it was only one aspect of Cory. Yes, she bravely confronted and opposed the (late strongman Ferdinand) Marcos, but that?s not her only legacy ? it?s her presidency,? he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in an interview. ?I wanted to capture her total life. And to symbolize Cory and her presidency is to include the 1987 Constitution.?

Castrillo said he tried to incorporate many of Aquino?s significant roles in his sculpture. She was a good person, a fiery defender of democracy, a People Power heroine and she was respected by the whole world, he said.

Straight or curly hair?

The sculpture also shows Aquino clad in a blouse and skirt suit?similar to what she wore when she delivered her historic speech before the joint session of the US Congress in 1986.

?She looked very confident, very presidential,? Castrillo said, adding that he studied 65 pictures of Aquino while working on her statue.

Initially, he sculpted Aquino with straight hair.

?But Noynoy (Sen. Benigno Aquino III) commented ?Tito Ed, kulot si mommy eh, baka hindi siya makikilala pag nawala yun? (Uncle Ed, my mom had curly hair. People might not recognize her if her hair is straight). I checked her photos again and realized that Noynoy was right. So I made it the way she usually wore it,? he said.

Castrillo recalled joining street protests in support of Aquino?s crusade against martial law.

?I really admired her. She was a woman of integrity and strength. To me, she epitomized the ideal Filipino woman,? he said.

More than anything else, the award-winning artist said he admired Aquino for being a good mother.

?Every time I see mothers who can take care of their children despite adversities in life, I always think of Cory,? said Castrillo, who lost his own mother when he was a young boy.

Same sentiments

Considered the country?s most prolific builder of public monuments, Castrillo declined to divulge how much Aquino?s statue cost, saying money was not a priority when he was working on the project.

He said Lim discussed the project with him two months ago.

?[Lim] used his own personal money. I agreed to work with him because we shared the same sentiments?we wanted to honor our former leader,? Castrillo said.

Lim was National Bureau of Investigation chief during Aquino?s presidency. She also campaigned for Lim in his presidential bid in 1998.

?This is the least we can do to show our gratitude to President Aquino, for the selfless dedication she gave to our country ? She is the country?s icon of equality and fairness, the epitome of righteousness and democracy,? Lim had said in a previous interview.

Earlier, Lim also named, in honor of Aquino, a public high school and a playground in Baseco, Tondo, as well as a 10-story public hospital which is being constructed in Sta. Ana district.

Castrillo said the national government and Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte commissioned him to design monuments to Aquino even before Lim did.

?The projects have already been approved, but it would have to go through the normal government processes, so it would take time,? the artist said. He added that he hopes to work on them during the year.