Prepared by:

Mark Kirveen D. Candava

Background of
the Author

Maria Corazon Aquino (January 25, 1933—August 1, 2009 (aged 76)

Part 02
Career: President of the Philippines, 1986-1992) was the 1st female
president and the 11th president of the Philippines. At first, she
was just a plain house wife, playing the role of a supportive wife
to Benigno Aquino until her husband became the opponent of
Ferdinand Marcos and was assassinated upon returning from exile.
In 1986, Marcos called for elections unexpectedly and Corazon
Aquino became the unified opposition’s presidential candidate,
restored democracy after the long dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos
Corazon Aquino’s family was a politically
prominent based in Tarlac province. She
g r a d u a t e d f r o m M o u n t S t . Vi n c e n t
C o l l e g e i n N e w Yo r k C i t y i n 1 9 5 4 b u t
abandoned further studies in 1955 to marry
Benigno Simeon Aquino, Jr., who was then
a promising young politician. She
personally wrote the speech she delivered to
the US Congress.
Corazon Aquino’s motivation in writing the document is her mutiny and
sadness of what her fellow Filipino experience during the Marcos era
most especially of what happened to her husband. That the Filipino
must be brave enough to fight for what is right not only for thembut
for the Philippine’s itself. It is the democracy that will set a Filipino
from the reality of life and once right. Despite of the death of her
husband that made her pursue the dream of Ninoy Aquino for the
Philippine’s to become a democratic country. “But this death was my
country's resurrection and the courage and faith by which alone they
could be free again.”
 Historical The speech of president Corazon Aquino tackled the life
Background during the martial period by stating the difficulties and
suppression of freedom during that time especially to those who
of the oppose the martial law like the journalist and using her husband,
Document Ninoy Aquino, as a sample. She explained how her husband
was went through a cruel trial and a tragic life before Cory was
elected as the President of the free people.

She also indicated the life after the martial law, the post-
martial law era, by stating how the Philippine government is
having a hard time in protecting its newly gained freedom
from martial law from the communist insurgence and the
poverty of the Filipino people due to the enormous debt left by
the previous administration and that they have to pay even if
they did not benefited from it.
The way how Filipinos lived that time according to the
Corazon Aquino's speech was hard, not only during the
martial law but also because they had just retrieved their
freedom and they are still finding and creating ways to
improve the government through democracy to improve the life
of Filipinos. The braveness of the Filipinos in letting their
voices be heard, in fulfilling a democratic system of
government. The Philippines still has a total of $26 Billion
debt that was from the Marcos reign and the Filipinos are
the ones suffering and working hard in paying it even if
they are not the ones who benefited from it. Cory also
mentioned her strong faith in God, as well as Ninoy Aquino,
which is evident in every Filipino. The Filipinos carry out
their religious practice very seriously for they are well
known for their deep faith in God
Content Presentation and Analysis of the Important Historical Information

As Corazon Aquino walks up to the podium to deliver her speech, the crowd cheers
as they give her a round of applause with smiles on their faces. The acclamation
continues as she walks up in front with confidence, she waits for the crowd to
conclude their applause. The speech was passionate, deeply personal, and effective;
interrupted 11 times by applause and bookended with standing ovations.

The main idea of the document is about our freedom from the Marcos family. Former
President Corazon Aquino mentioned the death of her husband Senator Benigno (“Ninoy”)
Aquino, who was assassinated in August 1983. Filipinos rallied around the widow Corazon
Aquino who symbolized all those who were victimized by the Marcos dictatorship and how
he is a traitor to his oath. She pushes the people to strive for freedom and change and how she
challengesthe former President Ferdinand Marcos for election although she knew that cheating
will happen. She also mentioned our country's foreign depth to United States. President Cory
Aquino promise to focus on the Communist Insurgency, but her main intention isthat she
asked for help from the Americans to help our country attain its democracy
One of the most memorable line that Cory Aquino stated is that "We
fought for honor, and, if only for honor, we shall pay," she
said, agreeing to pay the debt that was stolen by Marcos is the
right thing to do. In order to gain honor we need to be
transparent and we need to make good choices. Paying the
debts that Marcos stolen was one of the right choices or
initiative. She also said that "in giving we receive, in losing we
find, and out of defeat we snatched our victory" which states
that in every act, there's a corresponding reward. She also
mentioned that the death of Ninoy became the answered prayer
of the Filipinos, a pleasing sacrifice for freedom.
This means that there is no secret formula or magic in ousting
Marcos. What she did is she focuses more on what will be
Part 04
beneficial for all and she think less about herself. The speech
of Cory Aquino gave credibility to the People Power Revolution
not only to the Americans but to the whole world that change
was possible without violence.
Corazon Aquino known for restoration of the
freedom of people and taking up her husband,
NinoyAquino's mantle of presidency. Upon her
speech, clarification and gratitude was given to the
people. One of which is the tragic life of Ninoy
Aquino with Marcos having a huge contribution to
that. It is no secret that Marcos hated the
Aquino’sbut Cory, with her speech, showed to the
audience the cruelty of Marcos to her husband, her
family. She mentioned Ninoy being detained by
Marcos along with Senators, Publishers even those
people who spoke about democracy. She recalled
on her husband's experience of being tortured and
threatened him of execution at midnight, yet
she also showed the strength and courage of Ninoy
which reminded herpain they felt when they lost him.
In her speech, she showed how Ninoyconquered all of his sufferings with having

strong faith in God. Having to face death plenty of times, Ninoy kept his hope

to The Lord. Cory mentioned that Ninoy also went through hell when his execution

did not took place while he was in prison so they arranged another trial for

subversion, murder and a host of other crimes before a military commission.

She also said that they would keep his body dead or alive and gave him

realization whilst almost having no life after all they’ddone to him then he decided

to call off the fast on the 40th day. He wanted to stay alive just like his

dream of attaining democracy.

Contribution and Relevance of
the Document
The document which is Corazon Aquino’s speech before
the US congress is relevant in reconstructing the past
history of the Philippines and to its people because at first,
she started her speech by introducing her husband,
which is Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. She also
discussed what Ninoy had been through during the
martial law, under the dictatorial leadership of
Ferdinand Marcos. She stated her grief, and how she
and her children lost her husband Ninoy and how he
had become the nation’s regimen and according to her a
“pleasing sacrifice” in regaining its democracy and
freedom from the greediness of the martial law
After that, she called the US congress as the “democracy’s finest home”, for
according to Cory it played a big part in changing their country’s policies
towards the Philippines. This leads to the contribution of her speech in the aspect
of the Philippine democracy. The US congress balanced the American
Partconcerns
strategic interest against human 01 which illuminated the vision of the world,
for they sawon their television screens, on their newspaper’s headlines what
happened in the Philippines. How empowered are the Philippine countrymen in
achieving the democracy that they were praying for, for the longest time.

She said that this debt will be continually imposed to the nation. And that, the
friendship with the US government has contained positive results because of the
country’s common concerns. 2 to 4 billion dollars that came from the exportation of
Philippine products will go to pay the said debt even if the Filipinopeople did
not received any beneficiaries from it. Corazon Aquino ended her speech with the
quote “Join us America, as we build a new home for democracy”. This is to stand as a
shining testament of the 2 nation’s commitment to freedom.
Description of your learning experiences

To our nation’s Socio cultural Political

economy
The speech did not Thespeech stated that Corywas
This document had stated a past
mentioned anything much devastated about the two
currency in our economy. As
about our social culture but decades of the previous
stated in her speech, Corazon
did mentioned about Filipino’s administration political
Aquino acknowledged the 26
resiliency that we can
billion dollars debt of the oppression. Itis obvious that
consider as one of the
country which was done by the the speech is emphasizingof
traits of Filipinos. thespeech
previous government leader what is the life during the
stated about the sacrifice of
that has not been beneficial m a r t i a l l a w, a n d h o w
Filipinosbefore and e v e n
to Filipinos. And that, 2 to 4
Ninoy Aquino’s life that has Filipinoswon their democracy.
billion dollars that came from
ended just to win the Shedid mentionthat there is
the exportation of Philippine
democracy we are living right impoverishment of the previous
products will go to pay the said
now. a d m i n i s t r a t i o n
deb
(Marcosadministration).
 Religious
The speech did not mentioned
anything religious but you can still
notice or see some things that we
can relate about morality when it
comes to dealing with people. That
there should be harmony when it
comes to military and people in the
Philippines. Unlike in martial law.
Filipino Youth
We can conclude that the speech
can pertains to Filipino youth the
generation during that time and
today should preserve or g i v e
importance of what Filipinosin
revolution had fought for. Which is
the liberty or democracy. It should be
an eye opener for us that martial
law is not a good governance.
THANK YOU!!