When Cory Aquino was on her knees, with rosary beads rolling in her fingers, eyes shut in prayer, she was a picture of a daughter relying on the Blessed Mother's intercession. When she spoke of her faith, her eyes danced in the glow of the Father's light. There was no doubt there was truth in her words.
When Cory Aquino spoke of her presidency, she knew where her power emanated -from the people. Not in the hands of the military and the games the generals play. Not in the bottomline of corporations and the influence of their advertising campaigns.
In her, one can see clarity of purpose - she wanted to restore democracy. She wanted the people to see once more that in their hands laid the power and future of the country. She championed the supremacy of civilian authority. She did not have it easy from those who thought otherwise. Seven coup attempts would not have been easy for any president. But she endured because she knew what she wanted to achieve.
In her, one can see a consistency rarely seen among our political leaders. When asked to stay for one more term, she did not need time to reconsider. It's a no brainer, as the younger set would say. She had done what she promised - to oust the dictator, rebuild government institutions and democratic processes. Her successor's election to the presidency was said to the most credible election in recent history.
When she suffered, in her public and private persona, she did so in the name of sacrifice, in the name of love. In this day and age, sacrifice is a dreaded disease, and love is a fleeting pleasure. But in her world, sacrifice was essential so life could be lived to the fullest. In her life, love was sacred for it purified the dedication to serve the nation, and every Filipino starving of hope.
When she died, her example shone more radiantly, and thus surfaced a stark contrast among those who live and breathe in the corridors of power.
When politicians flock to Naga and dominate the airwaves with Fiesta greetings, how many do so to honor our Ina, without an iota of desire for media mileage? When questions were raised why Sen. Ramon "Bong" Revilla was in the pagoda during the Fluvial Procession, waving back to the people along the river banks, his hosts said he was a devotee. And silently, brows rose just a bit, as if to say, "Yeah, right."
When criticisms against a ruling party gain public support, it's not uncommon among our politicians to take an underdog stance in an attempt to win back what they had lost. PR men strongly advise that an appeal to emotion rakes in the sympathy votes, the blind loyalty votes - and we, the people, remain blind and unable to distinguish between fact and myth because they, our leaders, deem it best we remain to be so.
When there is opportunity to extend one's term through an alter-ego - a wife, a son, a wife, a daughter, a wife, a brother, a wife, a sister, a wife -many give in to the seduction. These maneuverings are no longer surprising. And unlike Ninoy Aquino's homecoming, the re-election of politicians to their posts after a three-year respite is not inspired by a sense of duty, but by insatiable greed.
When Cory Aquino died, we, the living, could not help but marvel at the ways of the Father. She, who bore the loss of her beloved to an assassin's bullet, decided to continue his fight. But we know now that it was the Father's design that her love for her husband would be the impetus for her to become a mother of a nation in darkness. We know now that her courage pushed her beyond her comfort zone because she had a wellspring of unwavering faith.
Her sacrifice, without question, sprung from a deep sense of service in the name of her God who sent her to the wolves. When she was said to be a reluctant leader, we believed because we could see that she was, indeed, averse to power. We, who are drenched in the signs and symbols of our times, could smell pretense and theatrics from a mile. No wonder then that when an image of a reluctant politician is being infused into our senses, the radars blare and our blood boils. No wonder then that when a seemingly repentant leader, profuse with tears and apologies, speaks of his change of heart, we await for the catch because this has happened many times over. No wonder we know these things because we have seen the opposite.
We have seen in Cory Aquino what sacrifice truly is - the offering of one's self for common good, without any underlying motive except to fulfill a solemn mission. Can we call it sacrifice when the motivation is to ensure that under-the-table deals remain a family secret? Can we call it a mission if it is nothing but a fossilized delusion of omnipotence? Can we call it sincerity, when in fact the ploy has long been decided and all talks are but a ruse?
Her prayer was evident in her life. And her life, in her prayer. And we, who are cynical and jaded, have found hope in knowing that it is possible to be steadfast even when the odds are against us, to be gentle and yet able to draw the line between justice and oppression, to say yes to all that is good no matter how difficult, and to say no to all that distract us from what is true and authentic.
We have seen how the Father works in ways only He can. And we have seen how Cory's life became an instrument to show what the Father wants for us.