Name: __Jazmin E.

Ocampo__________ Section: BSChE-1107

Reading #: __3__
Title of Reading Material: _Speech of Her Excellency Corazon C. Aquino President of the
Philippines During the Joint Session of the United States Congress_

Pre-reading Activity
Background of the Author
Maria Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco was born on the 25th of January 1933, to a wealthy
political and banking family in the Tarlac Province. She attended school until the age of 13 in
Manila and later finished her education in Philadelphia and New York in the United States. In
1953, she earned a bachelor’s degree in both French and Mathematics from the College of Mount
St. Vincent in New York. She then returned to the Philippines and studied law at the Far Eastern
University (FEU), where she met Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., an ambitious young journalist
who. is also from a wealthy family. In 1954, they got married and have five children together.
Soon, her husband abandoned his career as a journalist for politics and became the youngest
governor and the youngest member of the Senate of the Philippines.
Marcos was elected to the presidency in 1965 that caused the administration to be marred
by human rights violations and political repression. On September 21, 1972, Marcos declared
martial law in the Philippines, effectively stripping the democratic rights of his citizens and as
well as arresting those who are in the opposition, including Benigno Aquino, who was in jail for
seven years before the relocation of his family to the United States in 1980. He managed to keep
his profile alive and make a run for the presidential elections with the help of his wife, Corazon
Aquino. He managed to win the said election however the results were voided by the president of
that time, as he remained in jail. After three years of being exiled, Benigno Aquino returned to
the country on August 21, 1983, and was then assassinated soon after his arrival. The killing
behind Benigno was presumed to be Marcos’ doing and so the issue set off numerous protests
against the Marcos administration. As Corazon Aquino dealt with her husband’s death, she
became a national symbol of reform as the opposition coalesced around her.
With the support coming from the people of the Philippines, Corazon Aquino ran for the
presidential position-taking part in the People Power Revolution and later received support from
both the army and the defense minister, making the Marcos’ Administration lose in the battle in
the elections. In 1986, at the age of 50, she became the 11th president of the Philippines and the
first-ever female to succeed in the title of becoming president the same years, she was named
TIME magazine’s Woman of the year and was called the “Mother of Asian Democracy” as she
brought back democracy to the country with the help of fellow Filipinos. Her presidency lasted
for six years (1986-1992) wherein she fended off coup attempts by the supporters of Marcos and
worked hard to address the economic problems of the country.
She did not stop being the voice of the oppressed and periodically helped in leading street
protests against the policies even after the reign of her presidency. Though eventually, in 2008,
she discovered that she had colon cancer and later passed away on August 1, 2009.

Historical Background of the Text

The author of the document or the primary source was Corazon Aquino and she also
publicized what she had written through a speech. Knowing about the dispute between her
husband, Benigno Aquino, and of Marcos and his administration, being the wife of the
oppositionists that were assassinated, she expressed her mutiny and sorrow through addressing
the speech when she reached the opportunity in the U.S. Congress. It was assumed that the
document was written between April-September 1986 in the Philippines and it delivered during
the Joint Session in the United States Congress in Washington D.C. on September 18, 1986,
wherein it was 3 years after the assassination of her husband and 7 months after the People’s
Power Revolution.
The intended audience of the author is first and foremost the Filipinos, then the whole
world who witnessed and attested the penuriousness of the Marcos’ administration and its ways
of repression as well as, the students, political analysts, and researchers who wished to learn and
discover more about the issue or controversy.
The motive of the primary source, based on the historical context is full of
inconsistencies as to there are several scattered points, having the speech made and delivered for
the people in the country as well as in the world to know and be aware of how the Marcos’
administration suspended the Philippine Constitution and shut down the Congress, which led to
having her husband imprisoned, exiled and eventually death. It was also indicated in her
statements about how she will remain standing, unwavering, and will not betray the
responsibilities on her shoulders and the companionships that were present in the fight for the
freedom of the Filipino people for democracy. She also indicated the $26 Billion foreign debt
and a communist insurgency that grew throughout the Marcos era, and so, appealed for help,
addressed to the House and the U.S. Congress, asking for financial aid for the reconstruction of
the Philippine economy.

While-reading activity
Content Analysis of the Important Historical Information Found in the Document

The opening statement directly expressed her grief about her husband’s death and that the
country found its faith in democracy through her husband’s death. The following paragraphs then
narrated the challenges in the lives of their family and how they have lost Benigno Aquino three
times. She also stated about the cruel methods and dangerous attempts of the dictator to break
him apart but still stood on his ground and survived firmly despite all those occurrences.
Her speech was biased extremely positively on her husband, Benigno Aquino, and was
extremely negative towards Marcos' administration.
She gave an account of the revolution that brought her the power to become the president
and later described Filipinos who want to achieve democracy other than food, work, and money.
And that the fight they started was not wasted and a nonsensical one, putting up a good fight
against the administration. Moreover, she included in her speech the happenings and occurrences
during the presidential elections and on how democracy was achieved under the most difficult of
circumstances with the unity brought by the fellow Filipinos against the Marcos’ regime. She
also mentioned her ways in bringing back democracy and the responsibilities that she took for
the sake of freedom and the constitution of the government of the country after various
inflictions left by the Marcos’ administration which includes the $26B foreign debt that the
Filipinos honored despite not having received its benefits, the growth in the insurgency of
communists and that the country had a long road to recovery though it was just the start.
Despite all of that, giving out a detailed state of the country and that Filipinos are
committed to facing any challenges and problems, she once again appealed to the audience,
especially to the U.S. Congress, for them to extend help or financial aid and assistance in
restoring the full constitutional government and for the recovery of the economy of the country
that fought for their freedom

Post-reading activity
Contribution and Relevance of the Document in Understanding the Grand Narrative of
Philippine History
The document brings relevance as well as brought contribution to Philippine History for
the reason that this topic is most likely being brought up in the lessons of diplomatic and political
history, taking up to the account that the speech cemented the legitimacy of the People’s Power
Revolution internationally, meaning various people had witnessed the said event. And that
Filipinos have fought for their rights to choose their candidates for the presidency, as well as
their desire for democracy, had won over against the dictatorship of Marcos deeming to have
fought for their freedom in various ways. Her speech also served as a primary account during the
Martial Law era and the Marcos' regime in the Philippines.

Relevance of the Document to the Present Time

The Speech of Corazon C. Aquino President of the Philippines During the Joint Session
of the United States Congress that was delivered at Washington D.C., on September 18, 1986,
remind us of the lessons and events that we can pick up from her presidency and from the EDSA
People’s Power Revolution and many other things that were discussed about the life her family
led especially her husband who continued to fight until his last breath. Just like the problems and
challenges that we face right now including the issues about the elections and the political
candidates this year, we must remember that we are the ones who can decide to lead our country
because of the democracy that had been uplifted because of the people’s unity, and that there are
many lives lost as well as sacrifices made to restore the system leading unto the current situation
of our society. We must be aware and make decisions wisely especially this coming election for
they will be the ones that would either bring success or failure in the state of our country.