Cory Aquino’s legacy takes spotlight on death anniversary

On the ninth death anniversary of democracy icon Cory Aquino, her bereaved kin console themselves with the fact that she did not have to live through efforts by certain groups to gradually erase her hard-fought legacy.

“First, we miss her. But in a sense we’re glad she doesn’t have to see what’s happening to our beloved country these days,” said her son, former President Benigno Aquino III.

Aquino made the remarks to reporters at Manila Memorial Park, at the tomb of former President Cory and her husband, former Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., which had been bedecked with yellow chrysanthemums.

The renewed spotlight on Cory’s role in ushering the return of democracy, after years of dictatorial rule of Ferdinand Marcos, seemed to be the perfect foil amid an alleged backslide toward tyranny under President Rodrigo Duterte.

NOURISHING MOTHER Former President Benigno Aquino III, along with his sisters Pinky Abellada, Viel Dee and Ballsy Cruz and nephew Joshua, marks the ninth death anniversary of Cory Aquino at Manila Memorial Park. —LYN RILLON

Dual roles

The younger Aquino said his mother was “nourishing,” but the assassination of Ninoy and her swift rise to the presidency forced her to take on dual roles as “both mother and father to all of us.”

“I think that really helped us to grow, understand our condition, and really fortify our spirits for all the struggles we had to undergo,” he added.

‘Recycling appointees’

Aquino was the latest on Wednesday to add his voice to the chorus of denunciations against the President’s penchant for “recycling” officials he had already sacked.

“When you remove someone from their position, it means loss of trust and confidence [on the appointee],” Aquino said. “If you place them in another position, can that be? In another capacity, you can suddenly trust them again?”

But Aquino showed no appetite for staging a political comeback when asked about his plans for the 2019 elections.

“People have been asking me, won’t I run? I said, if I run, they’ll throw everything [at me] including the kitchen sink, [even] the house where it’s attached,” quipped Aquino, before adding that he still had “a lot of supporters.”

“For sure, I’d win,” he  said.