Corazon Aquino - U.S.

Congress Speech: STRUCTURALIST

Former President Corazon Aquino’s speech in the U.S Congress in 1986 was about how
the Filipino people worked together to bring down the dictator, how much the Filipinos suffered
in the hands of the dictator, and how peaceful and successful the revolution was. Cory Aquino
had a really beautiful speech in the U.S Congress, she expressed not just herself but also the
voices of the Filipino people, she also never forgot to mention that the democracy would’ve
never been achieved if not for the people who stood up against the dictator, the people, the
journalists, the senators, and of course her own husband Ninoy Aquino.

The speech was mainly about how the Filipino suffered in the hands of the late dictator
Ferdinand Marcos, and how democracy was brought back in the Philippines because of the
Filipino people who worked and stood together. Her speech started with her acknowledging the
people who are watching her, and telling a brief story on how she became the president of the
Philippines, a president of a free people as she said. The story of Ninoy Aquino was also briefly
told by Mrs. Aquino, she told the story of how hard was it for her and her children to accept the
death of her husband, but she also said that her husband’s death was not in vain because it was
the reason why the Filipinos won against the dictator. It all started in 1972 she said; it was when
the President turned dictator declared the infamous Martial law and suspended the constitution
that the Philippines have, for his own sake, it was when thousands of people were detained for
standing up for democracy including her husband and others. The dictator thinks lowly of Ninoy
Aquino that time, yet two million people threw aside their fear and escorted Ninoy on his grave.
And so, the revolution began which led to the ousting of the late dictator, and the democracy
being brought back to the Filipino people.

The speech of Cory Aquino was very meaningful, emotional, and deep. What I noticed
the most was that the speech is interrupted multiple times by applause and standing ovations,
well I really can’t blame them that much I was clapping every now and then when I was
watching her speech too. Her message was very meaningful not just to us Filipinos but also for
the whole world because of how she explained the things that really happened in the times of the
late dictator, the debts we had, the atrocities that happened, and the poverty that everyone
experienced.

Her speech was delivered effectively because of how she said it, she said it with courage,
knowledge, and love for the Filipino people. Each word she says has a connection to what just
happened in the Philippines, all the quotes, and the people she mentioned had a connection to
what her speech was about. There was this thing she said that really caught my attention and that
was when she said that “It was the cheapest revolution ever” she said that if we were able to do it
without the billions of dollars that the dictator had then, any country will be also be able to do it.
She also didn’t give that much acknowledgement to herself because she knows that it was the
people that are the reason on why democracy was restored in our country, it was the people who
stood up against the dictator and stood up for democracy the people such as her husband and the
journalists that were not scared to face the consequences just to say the truth and stop the evil
dictator. I just find it very sad that there’s only a little amount of people who knows and heard
about her speech, and what’s even sadder than that is the people who believe that the dictator
Ferdinand Marcos was a hero and that his regime was a golden age for the Philippines. It’s really
sad because the people ignored what the Filipinos fought for back then, what they stood up
against and what they stood for, that is why I hope that one day the Filipino will come to realize
again what is the truth and I hope that they find the true meaning of democracy.

Former President Corazon Aquino's speech provided insight on how Filipinos battled to
achieve independence and how the determined resistance from the past has motivated Filipino
revolutionaries in our modern times. It also clarifies what truly transpired during the time of her
husband. Her speech also demonstrates how a dictatorship may be transformed into a democratic
administration. Everything from its president to its laws, order, and norms is governed by it. The
speech also highlighted Ninoy Aquino's assassination and the horror caused by torture and
conviction under Martial Law.