Farewell, Mrs. Yellow Ribbon

“What on earth do I know about being president?” Mrs. Aquino said in an interview in December 1985, after a rally opening her election campaign.

But that was beside the point. For many Filipinos, she embodied a hope of becoming a better nation and a prouder people.

“The only thing I can really offer the Filipino people is my sincerity,” she said in the interview.

[From NYT]

Tita Cory (1933-2009)
(Photo from NYT Slideshow and credited to Aaron Favila/Associated Press)

My heart was heavy when I woke up today. When I turned on my phone to check the news, my heart sank even more as I read the headlines and the status messages of my friends over at Facebook, Twitter, and Plurk. Our Tita Cory passed away.

I was already born during her reign as the 11th President of the Philippines. I think I was like a year and half when she was in power. When I was a child, all I knew was that she's the yellow-clad lady in the Palace, the widow of the person printed in the 500 peso bill, and the mother of my then imaginary best friend, Kris Aquino. (Just ask my family, they have an anecdote on how Kris became my best friend.)

From what I could remember, there were tons of blackouts all over the metro during her presidency and I never knew why. It was almost a fact of life for me that the Philippines did not have that much power due to her yellow dresses. My childhood friends and I believe just making one dress eats up a lot of electricity because she was the president; for us, fortunately, that means we can play hide-and-seek underneath the moonlit sky. At the toddler age, everything you and your friends make of your world is bound to be the truth.

To the world-renowned advocate of democracy, and to the tita everyone had--farewell, Mrs. Yellow Ribbon. Your memories will stay with your countrymen forever.