LESSON 5: PRESIDENT

CORAZON AQUINO'S
SPECCH BEFORE THE U.S.
CONGRESS

GROUP 5 PRESENTATION
TOPIC CONTENT
CONTENT
BACKGROUND
PRESENTATION
OF THE AUTHOR
AND ANALYSIS
CONTRIBUTION AND
HISTORICAL RELEVANCE OF THE
CONTEXT OF DOCUMENT IN
THE DOCUMENT UNDERSTANDING THE
GRAND NARRATIVE
OF THE PHILIPPINE
HISTORY
BACKGROUND
OF THE AUTHOR
 CORAZON AQUINO
MARIA CORAZON "CORY" SUMULONG COJUANGCO AQUINO
WAS FROM PANIQUI, TARLAC. SHE WAS BORN ON THE 25TH OF
JANUARY YEAR 1933.
HER FAMILY WAS ONE OF THE WELL-OFF-CLAN OF THEIR
PROVINCE. SHE SPENT HER CHILDHOOD YEARS ON BEING A
STUDIOUS AND RELIGIOUS GIRL.
SHE MAJORED IN FRENCH IN THE COLLEGE OF MOUNT ST.
VINCENT IN NEW YORK CITY. AFTER HER UNDERGRAD SHE
WENT STRAIGHT TO THE PHILIPPINES TO ATTEND LAW
SCHOOL AT THE FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY (FEU), WHERE SHE
MET HER BELOVED BENIGNO “NINOY” AQUINO, JR. AFTER LAW
SCHOOL SHE DECIDED TO FOCUS HER INTEREST TO HER
FAMILY. HER HUSBAND WAS THE YOUNGEST GOVERNOR AND
THE YOUNGEST MEMBER OF THE SENATE OF THE PHILIPPINES
AS RECORDED.
Following her husband's assassination in 1983,
Corazon Aquino became active in various
demonstrations held against the Marcos
regime. She began to assume the mantle of
leadership left by her husband and became a
figurehead of the anti-Marcos political
opposition.
A petition was organized to urge cory Aquino
to run for president, headed by former
newspaper publisher Joaquin Roces. On
December 1, the petition of 1.2 million
signatures was publicly presented to Aquino in
an event attended by 15,000 people, and on
December 3, Aquino officially declared her
candidacy.
Aquino was sworn in as the eleventh president
of the Philippines on February 25, 1986.
 HISTORICAL
CONTEXT OF
THE DOCUMENT
THE DECLARATION OF MARTIAL LAW

President Ferdinand E. Marcos signed

Proclamation No. 1081 on September 21, 1972,
placing the Philippines under Martial Law.
Marcos claimed that he declared martial law in
1972 in response to the "communist threat" posed by
the newly formed Communist Party of the
Philippines (CPP) and the sectarian "rebellion" of
the Mindanao Independence Movement (MIM).
Opposition figures of the time, including Lorenzo
Taada, Jose W. Diokno, and Jovito Salonga, accused
Marcos of exaggerating these threats in order to
consolidate power and extend his presidency
beyond the two presidential terms allowed by the
1935 constitution.
 After Marcos was deposed, government investigators
discovered that the declaration of martial law had also
enabled the Marcoses to conceal secret caches of
unexplained wealth, which various courts later
determined to be "of criminal origin."
This 14-year period in Philippine history is remembered for
the administration's record of human rights violations,
particularly targeting political opponents, student
activists, journalists, religious workers, farmers, and
others who fought against the Marcos dictatorship.
According to Amnesty International, Task Force
Detainees of the Philippines, and other human rights
monitoring organizations, the Marcos dictatorship was
marked by 3,257 known extrajudicial killings, 35,000
documented tortures, 77 'disappeared,' and 70,000
incarcerations.
THE ASSASSINATION OF NINOY AQUINO
Former President Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr
assassination on August 21, 1983, is credited with
transforming opposition to the Marcos regime from a
small, isolated movement into a national crusade. It
is also credited with thrusting Aquino's widow,
Corazon Aquino, into the public eye and propelling
her to the presidency in the 1986 snap election.
Although many people, including the Aquino family,
believe Marcos ordered Aquino's assassination, this
has never been proven conclusively. Following the
assassination, Marcos ordered an official
government investigation, which resulted in murder
charges being filed against 25 military personnel and
one civilian, all of whom were acquitted by the
Sandiganbayan (special court).
EDSA REVOLUTION
The Philippines was thrust into the
international spotlight in 1986 as a result of a
nonviolent revolution to overthrow Former
President Ferdinand Marcos' dictatorship. Many
countries were taken aback by our country's
move, which drew even more attention because
no one was killed. With 2 million protesters, the
military was given the option of firing back at
the protesters, who are armed only with
rosaries. As a result, Filipino citizens were
successful in deposing the dictatorship's
administration and driving the Marcos family
out of power. Following the departure of the
Marcos family, Filipino citizens were able to
taste democracy for the first time.
 THE END OF FERDINAND
MARCOS REGIME
The End of Ferdinand Marcos Regime
The People Power Revolution and
supporters of Cory Aquino protested
the results. The Filipino people were
outraged that Marcos cheated in the
elections. On February 15, 1986,
Ferdinand Marcos won, but he did not
win fairly. Marcos won because his
cronies declared him the winner.
Because of national and foreign
pressure, Ferdinand Marcos gave up his
presidency. President Ronald Reagan
allowed the Marcos family to be exiled
to Hawaii. He died in exile in 1989.
 the intention of the speech:
It strengthen the relationship of
America and Philippines
ACCOUNT DELIVERED: Freedom from dictatorship of
Historical Ferdinand Marcos
Mark the beginning of a new era for
Address to the US
Filipinos and their government
CONGRESS To request $200 million in financial
tIME DELIVERED: aid from the United States on behalf
of the Philippine government
18 September 1986,
President Corazon expressed the
washington d.c. hope that democracy and freedom
would be given to the people who
demanded them and would act
according to the situation
 CONTENT
PRESENTATION
AND ANALYSIS
Primary Source
Corazon Aquino was the author of
the primary source.
The intended audience of the primary
source is the Filipino people, as well as
the whole world who witnessed the
impoverishment of the Marco's
administration; students, researchers
and political analysts.
Content presentation
She delivered her speech before the Joint Session of
the United States Congress with U.S lawmaker in
September 18, 1986.
She acknowledged the conference's speaker,
prominent member, and Senator Thurmond. She
expressed her sadness of leaving America. She buries
her spouse three years before becoming president.
She claimed to have returned as the liberated
people's leader. She went into great detail about her
husband's problems, how she impacted their family
and the country.
Corazon aquino was devastated about the
situation of the country; about two decades of
social and politcal oppression
SHE TOOK RESPONSIBILITY FOR TAKING CARE OF AND
FIGHTING FOR THE SAKE OF THE FREEDOM OF THE
WHOLE COUNTRY.
IT HAS BEEN KNOWN BY EVERYONE THAT THE MARCOS
AND AQUINO FAMILIES GREATLY HATE EACH OTHER.
NINOY AQUINO, THE HUSBAND OF CORY AND THE
NUMBER ONE OPPONENT OF FERDINAND MARCOS, IS
DETAINED IN THE NORTH. CORY'S DETERMINATION
TO FIGHT AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT AND SEEK
REFUGE IN AMERICA WAS GREATLY FUELED BY
NINOY'S CAPTIVITY AND ASSASSINATION IN THE
LATTER PART.
Analysis
Corazon Aquino, in her speech, tries to
exemplify the nexus of catastrophic
events in the Philippines during the
declaration of martial law. Aquino first
instigated Marcos’s crimes, which should
be unveiled for the public. Aquino did
not specify Marcos’ crimes, but many
researchers and scholars provided
evidence of the political unrest during
the martial law.
Furthermore, it is Cory
Aquino's pride to present in
the United States Congress
that the Philippines achieved
democracy on its own. yet,
Aquino attempts to convey
the impression that she
requires America's assistance
to sustain the democracy
that has been restored.
Tyranny is not the dream of
every Filipino. They would
fight with all their might
for the Philippines’ hidden
light.
In a nutshell, the struggling
Philippines despite its despair and
political unrest will surely
prosper, for all the sacrifices are
rendered not for selfishness but
for the common good. The
Talmud speaks aloud when the
bloodless revolution drove
Marcos from his oppressive
office. The Filipinos save many
lives for driving Marcos away,
and Cory Aquino ought to
restore what was being lost – the
Filipino’s dignity, by
strengthening the Bill of Rights
which is evident until the
present day.
The Results of Her Speech
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.
after cory's speech in the congress the
house approved an emergency $200-
million aid appropriation to help deal
with the philippines economic distress.
Thirty years on, we still owe a huge
amount of money to various lending
institutions, and in fact, our debt has
grown ever larger and now includes
not only foreign banks but also local
ones.
The Yellow Ribbon has become
the symbol of the Aquino legacy,
an enduring narrative of the
heroism of Ninoy Aquino and his
faith in a people worth dying
for. His act of martyrdom
became a legacy when the
Filipino people rallied to the
leadership of his widow, Corazon
Aquino and through massive
non-violent protests restored
democracy after 14 dark years of
Marcos oppression and
unparalleled corruption.
 CONTRIBUTION
AND RELEVANCE
OF THE
DOCUMENT IN
UNDERSTANDING
THE GRAND
NARRATIVE OF
THE PHILIPPINE
HISTORY
The Cory Aquino’s
speech helped improve
relations between the
United States and the
Philippines

The speech is significant

for its dedication to
human rights issues.
Amends the Philippine
Constitution
Provides us a perspective on how the
oppressed Filipinos fought for democracy
and freedom during Marcos' regime.
presents how powerful and influential the
revolt of the Filipinos was in attaining
freedom

informs us of our country's huge debt.

apprises the terror of Martial Law.
THANK YOU FOR
LISTENING!
don't hesitate to ask
questions!
 GROUP 5 MEMBERS
male female
Aterrado, Floyd Art Apostol cortez, KRISHA JOY
casio, jay garciola, razen b.
Nacorda, Gabrielle
Quisaba, Niela Jhane
 Bibliography
Moskovitz, D. (2019, May 24). Save one life, save the entire world (Including yourself). Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. Retrieved May 3,
2021, from https://rac.org/blog/save-one-life-save-entire-world-including-yourself

Pantoja, D. (2014, September 23). Marcos’ martial law years: My longest nightmare. Dann & Joji Pantoja. Retrieved May 3, 2021, from
https://waves.ca/2014/09/23/marcos-martial-law-years-my-longest-nighmare/

Speech of President Corazon Aquino during the joint session of the U.S. Congress, September 18, 1986 | GOVPH. (1986, September 18). Official
Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Retrieved May 3, 2021, from https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1986/09/18/speech-of-president-
corazon-aquino-during-the-joint-session-of-the-u-s-congress-september-18-1986/

The fall of the dictatorship | GOVPH. (n.d.). Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Retrieved May 3, 2021, from
https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/featured/the-fall-of-the-dictatorship/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corazon_Aquino