Thank you Tita Cory

During the "dark" days of martial law, anti-Marcos groups wanted to see Marcos out of the palace. The thing is they can't find a suitable leader to be their face against Marcos. Everyone wants a piece of the pie, since after all, once Marcos is toppled down, it will be a free-for-all and everyone has a chance of gaining control of the country.

But upon the many faces arose Ninoy Aquino, but health intervened and thanks to Jimmy Carter and Imelda Marcos, the Aquinos went to Boston, and Ferdinand Marcos, was still king.

When it was time for Ninoy to return, he did return, and an assassin's bullet welcomed him back to the Philippines. His wife Corazon returned herself, not to be the figurehead of the opposition, but to bury her husband. But as fate would have it, she did become the figurehead of the anti-Marcos groups, and she was named "Cory."

With Marcos' own miscalculations, he pushed for his biggest mistake - the 1986 presidential "snap" elections - to be held. He thought the opposition would just roll over and die, but the opposition did not boycott the elections, and it became a showdown for the ages. What Marcos had planned as a show election backfired immensely. Whether Marcos won or not does not matter, for the people at EDSA made up their minds, it's Cory or kaput.

So Cory became the president of the Philippines. Whether it was her plan or God's, again doesn't matter, by the stroke of fate she toppled the dictatorship of Marcos, and she ushered in the Fifth Republic, the era where elections determine who holds the reins of power. Well, ideally. She was named woman of the year, by TIME, wearing Marcosian red, and surrounded by that magazine's distinctive red border. (One would've wondered if it were more appropriate for Cory to be National Geographic's cover, instead.)

Now that Cory is dead, I wonder if her death was in vain. She did topple the dictatorship and ushered in "democracy" but the Filipino people are as stubborn as nails. How many wives have to have their husbands assassinated? How many more Corys have to show an example? How many Filipinos have to be TIME magazine's person of the year? Do we need another Cory to pull us out of the dark?

Thank you Tita Cory. The Filipino people may not be able to repay you, but we will always remember what you did for us. We the people must make sure Cory did not die in vain. It is our duty. Our duty to repay her.