REVISITING CORAZON

AQUINO’s SPEECH BEFORE THE

U.S. CONGRESS
 REVISITING CORAZON AQUINO’s SPEECH
BEFORE THE U.S. CONGRESS
 Corazon “Cory” Cojuangco Aquino functioned
as the symbol of the restoration of democracy
and the overthrow of the Marcos Dictatorship
in 1986.
 The EDSA People Power, which installed Cory
Aquino in the presidency, put the Philippines in
the international spotlight for overthrowing a
dictatorship through peaceful means.
 THE PEOPLE POWER REVOLUTION OF 1986
The People Power Revolution of 1986 was widely recognized around
the world for its peaceful character. When former senator Ninoy
Aquino was shot at the tarmac of the Manila International Airport on
August 21 1983, the Marcos regime greatly suffered a crisis of
legitimacy. Protests from different sectors frequented different areas in
the country. Marcos’s credibility in the international community also
suffered. Paired with the looming economic crisis, Marcos had to do
something to prove to his allies in the United States that he remained to
be the democratically anointed leader of the country. He called for a
Snap Election in February 1986, where Corazon Cojuangco Aquino,
the widow of the slain senator was convinced to run against Marcos.
The canvassing was rigged to Marcos’s favor but the people expressed
their protest against the corrupt and authoritarian government. Leading
military officials of the regime and Martial Law orchestrators
themselves, Juan Ponce Enrile and Fidel V. Ramos, plotted to take
over the presidency, until civilians heeded the call of then Manila
 On September 18, 1986, seven
months since Cory became
president, she went to the United
States and spoke before the joint
session of the U.S. Congress.
Cory was welcomed with long
applause as she took the
podium and addressed the
United States about her
presidency and the challenges
faced by the new republic.
Cory ended her speech by thanking America for
serving as home to her family for what she referred to
as the ‘three happiest years of our lives together.” She
enjoined America in building the Philippines as a new
home for democracy and in turning the country as a
“shining testament of our two nations’ commitment to
freedom.
ANALYSIS OF CORY AQUINO’S
SPEECH
 Cory Aquino’s speech was an important
event in the political and diplomatic history of
the country because it has arguably
cemented the legitimacy of the EDSA
government in the international arena.
 The speech talks of her family background,
especially her relationship with her late
husband, Ninoy Aquino.
 The ideology or the principles of the new
democratic government can also be seen in the
same speech.
 Cory also hoisted herself as the reconciliatory
agent after more than two decades of a polarizing
authoritarian politics.
 Despite Cory’s efforts to hoist herself as the exact
opposite of Marcos, her speech still revealed
certain parallelisms between her and the Marcos’s
government.