SPEECH OF HER EXCELLENCY CORAZON C.

AQUINO PRESIDENT OF
THE PHILIPPINES BEFORE THE JOINT SESSION OF THE UNITED
STATES CONGRESS (Delivered at Washington D.C. on September
18,1986)

 On September 18, 1986, Corazon Aquino, recently elected President of the

Philippines, became just the fifth woman in the history of the United States
to address a joint session of Congress. Not only did Aquino speak.

 Corazon C. Aquino gave a speech in order to help the Philippines in

preserving the freedom which the Filipinos have won for themselves.

 Calling to, “restore democracy by the ways of democracy,” she

aggrandized the role of America in the world as the promoter of a righteous
system of governance and further strengthened the reputation of said
country as a model for greatness.

 Cory’s speech was adorned by countless references to her

husband—Former Senator Ninoy Aquino—whom the Filipino nation had
assigned as the poster boy for anti-Marcos movements.

 She succeeded in her analysis of the Martial Law era regarding its origin
and outcome. Marcos’ attempt to stop a 500-strong communist insurgency
by imposing a restrictive policy only furthered the Red Army’s reach in fact,
it has been said that the Communist Party had 16,000 members by the end
of Martial Law, making Marcos the Party’s biggest recruiter. President Cory
said that the Martial Law was like, “trying to stifle a thing with the means by
which it grows,” acknowledging the fact that the communist insurgency
existed because of widespread economic inequality.

Philippines Foreign Debt and Preserving Democracy

 She seems to have made a similar mistake, however, when she decided
that the Philippines would keep the $26 billion foreign debt it incurred during
Marcos’ presidency.
 Cory Aquino appears to have the utmost confidence and trust in America
that she invited the country to help the Philippines in practicing and
preserving its democracy.

 Not much has changed since the speech of Cory Aquino to the U.S.
Congress in 1986. There is still no genuine economic and social
transformation agenda which was mentioned in her speech. Thirty years on,
we still owe a huge amount of money to various lending institutions.

4. How did the speech affect you as a viewer? In what way would it be rendered
relevant to the current condition of our country? Cite specific lines from the
speech?

5. What are the points in her speech that you agree and disagree with? Which
lines hit home?

 First the communist insurgency which Martial Law sought to terminate is

continually spreading and deepening its roots. This is no wonder since
inequality is increasing at a steady rate; President Cory was right when she
said that the communist insurgency feeds on economic deterioration. The
most important lesson we can learn from the speech, I think, is that we
cannot entrust our redemption to another sovereign state, and the only real
solution to any type of rebellion is to address the causes. Solving the root
problem will encourage everything else to inevitably fall into place.