A Reaction on Corazon Aquino’s Speech Before the US Congress

On the 18th day of September 1986, seven months after thousands of people
rallied to raise her to presidency, President Corazon "Cory" C. Aquino spoke before a
joint session of the United States Congress where she talked about her life as Ninoy
Aquino's wife and the current state of the Philippines several months after a president-
turned-dictator had been deposed.
Before being elected as the president of a free country, Cory Aquino was known
as the wife of Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr., a former senator and an outspoken
oppositionist of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos who was shot-dead at the tarmac of the
Manila International Airport on August 21, 1983. Ninoy's assassination initiated protests
against the government. Marcos' credibility in the international community was greatly
reduced, too. Thus, he called for a Snap Election in February 1986 where Cory Aquino
was convinced to run against him.
In spite of her inexperience in politics, Cory was able to gain the trust of the
people deprived of their rights and freedom during Marcos' regime. She became
people's beacon of light. However, the results were rigged to Marcos' favor. But the
people, armed with unwavering faith and courage, rallied to EDSA to voice out their
complaints against the corrupt and authoritarian government and successfully ended
Ferdinand Marcos' twenty-one-year reign. This event also raised Cory Aquino to
presidency.
Moreover, the said event - the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution - was
widely recognized around the world for its people's powerful but peaceful revolt. In
addition, it also increased Cory Aquino's popularity among the leaders of other nations
as the country's symbol of the restoration of democracy.
Thus, seven months after her presidency, she delivered her eloquent, half-hour,
historic speech before a joint session of the US Congress, whose members greeted her
with long applause and standing ovation with their yellow-accented attires as she took
the podium and addressed the US Congress about her presidency and the struggles
the Philippines is currently facing.
In the beginning of her speech, she reminisced bittersweet memories from the
past. She recalled how she lost Ninoy thrice - first, when he was detained by Marcos
because of his unyielding opposition against Marcos' authoritarianism; second, when
Ninoy decided to do a hunger strike and fasted for 40 days when he was tryed by a
military court in order to solidify his protest against the dictator; and lastly, when he was
assassinated in the Manila International Airport.
With these statements, she managed to emphasize Ninoy's steadfastness and
strong desire for the liberty, for democracy, of the people from the clutches of a cruel
dictator. Furthermore, she also highlighted on how her husband's death awakened the
slumbering courage and nationalism found within the people's hearts, and on how
Ninoy's death resulted to the nation's freedom. In addition, Cory also stated how the
responsibility of "offering the democratic alternative" had fallen on her shoulders.
As the Republic of the Philippine's newly-elected president, Cory Aquino
emphasized that she and her administration will become advocates of peace since she
came to power peacefully. Then, she shared her earliest initiatives. First, she talked
about the restoration of a full constitutional government under a constitution that already
gives full respect to the Bill of Rights, which is not a small achievement given the fact
that her administration inherited a polarized government. Next, she talked about her
plans of persuading insurgents to go down from their hills and participate in the
restoration of the country's democracy. She also emphasized that in doing so, she
would follow the path of peace. However, she also said that while her government's
priority is peace, she "will not waiver" when freedom and democracy are threatened.
Finally, Cory turned to the $26 billion foreign debt which ballooned during the Marcos
regime. Even though the Filipinos did not benefit from it, she still asserted that she will
honor it. Furthermore, she stated that "We fought for honor, and, if only for honor, we
shall pay."
As her speech neared its end, she re-enumerated the challenges faced by the
Filipino government as she tries to build the country's democracy, and addressed a
compelling question subtly requesting for America's assistance which effectively sways
the US Congress' decision to her favor.
In conclusion, she expressed her deep gratitude to America for being their
family's "haven from oppression" and asked America to join her as she builds "a new
home for democracy" and another "haven for the oppressed" as the two nations' shining
testament of their commitment to freedom.
As she finished delivering her speech, she gained the trust and respect of the US
Congress. She also proved to the whole world that in spite of being deemed as an
"untutored political amateur," she have the capacity of leading her own country. Her
success was because of her persuasiveness and her finely-crafted speech.
Her historic speech, penned by her speechwriter Teddy Locsin Jr., effectively
conveyed her recollection of her time with Ninoy, as well as her continuous fight for
democracy and her efforts of restoring the Philippines' democracy, through the use of
words. In spite of being a political speech, she managed to make it deeply personal.
Moreover, upon reading the speech from the author's lenses, one would clearly notice
that Cory is also seeking emergency assistance, specifically financial assistance, and
still wants to forge stronger bonds with the United States of America, in spite of the
latter's alliance with the dictator.
Furthermore, Aquino's speech clearly shows how different she is from her
predecessor, as evident in her commitment to a democratic constitution which upholds
and adheres to the rights of the people. However, it also shows her government's
intention to carry on a debt-driven economy, by choosing to pay the dictator's incurred
debt.
Overall, Cory Aquino's speech does not only reflect her ideas and aspirations for
the country, it also shows the guiding principles of her administration. Moreover, her
speech also serves as a constant reminder to us Filipinos that our acquisition of
democracy is not easy – sacrifices were made along the way. Thus, we must do
everything to preserve our democracy. Don’t let anything, or anyone, prevent us from
enjoying it to its fullest.