Corazon Aquino Biography Quotes 22 Report mistakes

Early Life and Family
Maria Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco, known to the world as Corazon "Cory" Aquino, was born on January 25, 1933, in Paniqui, Tarlac, Philippines. She came from two prominent clans that shaped business and political life in the country: the Cojuangcos on her father Jose Cojuangco Sr.'s side and the Sumulongs on her mother Demetria Sumulong's side. The family was influential in agriculture, finance, and public affairs, and Cory grew up in an environment that combined Catholic faith, civic duty, and a strong sense of public service. Her extended family included figures who would loom large in national debates, such as her cousin Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco Jr., a major businessman and political power broker, and her maternal relative Senator Lorenzo Sumulong, reinforcing the political DNA that would later intersect with her own life.

Education and Marriage
Cory received her early education at Catholic schools in Manila and showed particular interest in languages and the humanities. As a young woman, she pursued higher education in the United States and earned a degree from the College of Mount Saint Vincent in New York, studying French and broadening her worldview in the process. Returning to the Philippines, she briefly enrolled in law at Far Eastern University but set aside legal studies after marrying Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. in 1954. Ninoy, an energetic journalist turned politician from Tarlac, was rapidly ascending through public office, and Cory embraced the role of supportive spouse and mother. The couple had five children: Maria Elena (Ballsy), Aurora Corazon (Pinky), Victoria Elisa (Viel), Benigno Simeon III (Noynoy), and Kristina Bernadette (Kris). Family life was central to Cory, and for years she was content to remain outside formal politics while her husband built a career as a mayor, governor, and eventually a national opposition leader.

From Grief to Opposition Leadership
President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law in 1972, detaining opposition figures including Ninoy Aquino. During his imprisonment, Cory became a steady presence for her family and a quiet symbol for democratic advocates, visiting her husband and supporting networks that opposed authoritarian rule. In 1980, after years of incarceration, Ninoy was permitted to seek medical treatment in the United States, and the family lived in exile in Boston. When he returned to the Philippines in 1983, Ninoy was assassinated on arrival at Manila International Airport, a killing that electrified the nation. Grief propelled Cory into public life. She emerged as a unifying figure for a broad opposition movement that included civic groups, church leaders like Jaime Cardinal Sin, reformists within the establishment, and millions of ordinary Filipinos angered by corruption and repression.

The 1986 People Power Revolution
In late 1985, under domestic and international pressure, Ferdinand Marcos called a snap presidential election. Reluctant at first, Cory agreed to run as the standard-bearer of a united opposition, with Salvador "Doy" Laurel as her running mate. The campaign adopted the color yellow as its emblem, and Cory's simple demeanor and moral clarity became a rallying point. The election on February 7, 1986, was marred by widespread fraud, including walkouts by vote tabulators and documented irregularities. As tensions escalated, defense officials Juan Ponce Enrile and Fidel V. Ramos broke with Marcos, and Cardinal Sin urged the public to protect the defectors. Over four momentous days along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, unarmed crowds faced down tanks and soldiers in a peaceful uprising later known as the People Power Revolution. On February 25, 1986, Marcos and Imelda Marcos left for exile, and Cory Aquino assumed the presidency, restoring constitutional government after years of dictatorship.

Rebuilding Democratic Institutions
Cory moved quickly to dismantle authoritarian structures and restore the rule of law. She issued a provisional Freedom Constitution, reorganized government, and created the Presidential Commission on Good Government under Jovito Salonga to recover ill-gotten wealth amassed during the Marcos era. Recognizing the need for a durable democratic charter, she convened a Constitutional Commission chaired by Cecilia Munoz-Palma. The resulting 1987 Constitution reestablished checks and balances, strengthened civil liberties, limited presidential powers and terms, restored a bicameral Congress, and enshrined judicial independence. Her government freed political prisoners, reopened shuttered media, and encouraged a vibrant civil society to reengage in public life.

Economic Policy and Agrarian Reform
Cory inherited a debt-laden economy, crony monopolies, and investor uncertainty. Her administration pursued stabilization, debt rescheduling, and the dismantling of favored monopolies. She appointed reform-minded economic managers and reopened the economy to competition and transparency. Central to her social agenda was agrarian reform. In 1988, she signed into law the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, aimed at redistributing land and granting farmers greater rights and support. The program, however, ran into complex legal, financial, and political obstacles. Controversies surrounding Hacienda Luisita, owned by her extended family, highlighted tensions between reform ideals and entrenched interests. Despite criticism and uneven implementation, CARP represented the most comprehensive attempt at land reform since the postwar era.

Security Crises and Coup Attempts
Cory's presidency faced repeated challenges from military rebels and remnants of the old order. Factions within the armed forces, including elements linked to the Reform the Armed Forces Movement led by Gregorio Honasan, launched several coup attempts. The most serious, in 1987 and 1989, threatened to destabilize the government and undermine investor confidence. Even as she confronted insurgencies from both left and right, she insisted on civilian control of the military and a policy that combined security measures with political reforms and dialogue. Maintaining this balance demanded resilience and a steady commitment to constitutionalism in a period of flux.

Foreign Policy and the U.S. Bases Question
Cory sought to restore the Philippines' international standing and attract allies for democratic consolidation. One of the most consequential foreign policy issues of her term was the future of U.S. military bases at Clark and Subic. After an emotional national debate, the Philippine Senate in 1991 voted against a new treaty to extend the bases, a decision that led to the withdrawal of American forces. Cory had advocated maintaining a strategic partnership, but she accepted the Senate's verdict, underscoring the primacy of democratic processes. The decision coincided with the eruption of Mount Pinatubo, which devastated the surrounding region and accelerated the bases' closure.

Natural Disasters and Governance Challenges
Natural disasters tested the young democracy. The 1990 Luzon earthquake and the 1991 Pinatubo eruption caused loss of life, displacement, and massive infrastructure damage. Her administration mobilized relief and reconstruction efforts while navigating fiscal constraints and political headwinds. The state rebuilt institutions even as it responded to emergencies, and the experience deepened public expectations for transparent governance and disaster readiness.

Transition and Later Public Service
True to her pledge to restore normal constitutional order, Cory stepped down after a single term and peacefully transferred power to Fidel V. Ramos in 1992. Out of office, she remained a moral voice in public life. When allegations of corruption engulfed President Joseph Estrada, she stood with church leaders, business groups, and citizens who gathered in 2001 for what became EDSA II, supporting a constitutional transition that brought Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to the presidency. In subsequent years, Cory backed campaigns for clean elections and good governance, and at times criticized policies she believed departed from democratic norms. Her son, Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, followed her and Ninoy into public service and would later become president, a testament to the family's enduring civic engagement.

Illness, Death, and Legacy
In 2008, Cory announced she had colon cancer and underwent treatment with characteristic grace and candor. She died on August 1, 2009, prompting an outpouring of national mourning. Tens of thousands lined the streets of Metro Manila as her cortege passed, many wearing yellow and flashing the "L" sign of the 1986 campaign. She was laid to rest beside Ninoy, closing a chapter that had intertwined personal sacrifice with national rebirth. Remembered as the "Mother of Philippine Democracy", she embodied the power of principled, nonviolent leadership. Time magazine named her Woman of the Year in 1986, recognizing the global resonance of People Power. To many Filipinos, her example proved that courage and integrity could topple authoritarianism and reimagine a nation's future, and that a leader's greatest achievement is to make institutions strong enough to outlast any single person.

Our collection contains 22 quotes who is written by Corazon, under the main topics: Justice - Leadership - Meaning of Life - Freedom - Faith.

Other people realated to Corazon: Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (President), Imelda Marcos (Celebrity), George Schultz (Public Servant)

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