Tarlac’s most famous mom honored with giant mosaic

TARLAC CITY, Philippines—There is no belated celebration of Mother’s Day.

Two weeks after the country celebrated the occasion, Tarlac on Sunday paid tribute to its mothers and to its most famous mom, the late President Corazon Aquino.

Amid a shower of yellow balloons and confetti, a 22-by-40-foot mosaic portrait of Cory Aquino, printed on a tarpaulin, was unveiled at the atrium of SM City Tarlac. The tarpaulin stretched to a height that spanned the mall’s three floors.

The mosaic is composed of 6,000 photographs of mothers, which were gathered from shoppers through the mall’s “Kabahagi Ako” campaign. It was designed by students of Tarlac State University’s College of Fine Arts and will be on display for a month.

Darrel Ramos, SM City Tarlac assistant mall manager, said the mosaic was a tribute to the mother of President Aquino, as “mother of Philippine democracy” and to all mothers. Her daughter, Viel Aquino-Dee, and grandson, Josh, represented the family in the event.

Dee said that before anything, Cory Aquino was a mother.

“She was a good mother to her children and her grandchildren… though she tended to spoil her grandchildren,” she said.

Dee remembered how loving and caring her mother had been. “Whenever a member of the family gets sick, we will call her before the doctor. We are fortunate to have a mother like her.”

Cesar Bondoc, SM City regional operations manager, gave Dee a replica of the mosaic portrait.

Dee said she would turn over the replica to the Aquino Museum inside Hacienda Luisita here, a sugar estate owned by the Cojuangco family.

Dancers from Little Steps Ballet School honored Cory Aquino with a performance to the tune of Jose Mari Chan’s “I Have Fallen in Love with the Same Woman Three Times.”

The song was based on a poem written by Cory’s husband, the slain former Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., as an anniversary gift to her.

Lourdes Joy Baysa, 9, brought the audience close to tears with her rendition of “Mama,” “Sa Ugoy ng Duyan” and “You Raise Me Up.”

Mothers in the audience were given flowers during the program.