The Last Goodbye

Anna Marie's Diary Entry
August 5, 2009

Today was a mournful, unforgettable, and historic day, not only for me but for the whole Philippines as well. It was the funeral of the Mother of Democracy, our beloved President Corazon "Cory" Aquino.

I am but one of the hundreds of thousands of people who joined the funeral procession from the Manila Cathedral to Manila Memorial Park. It was a long procession which took almost nine hours.

What I have witnessed was a great scenario, a scene which made me proud to be a Filipino. It is because I really saw how much our people love Tita Cory, how much they thank her for the democracy we're enjoying today.

Many people patiently followed the long procession despite the downpour of rain and the heat of the sun. They did not mind the dreaded A(H1N1) virus. Yellow ribbons and flowers filled the streets. Many people - rich or poor, folks, children, students, professionals, missionaries - most of them wearing yellow shirts, shouted "Cory! Cory!" whenever the convoy passed. Banners and placards expressing gratitude to President Cory could be seen everywhere. Where the funeral cortege passed, the world stopped. People would stop all the things that they were doing only to see and thank Tita Cory. Some folks even cried upon seeing the funeral convoy. It was a cry of sadness for the loss of a special one who restored our country's democracy. It was for someone who led a peaceful revolution which is now being copied by other countries. It was for someone who accepted the presidency not to fulfill an ambition but a mission.

I don't know President Cory much, but for me, she was a good leader, a good mother, and a good child of God. For many Filipinos her deeds and she herself is unforgettable. We know she got a place there in heaven and also in our hearts.

Thank you, President Cory!

* from the homework of Anna Marie S. Lomenario, II-Acacia. The students were asked to imagine being at Mrs. Aquino's funeral and write their observations, thoughts, emotions about what they have witnessed.