The city remembers the woman in yellow

It was been more than 5 months now since former Philippine President Corazon C. Aquino passed away after a long bout with cancer. Not to mention the “yellow fever” that came along with that. Which has led to a chain of events in which the details would lead us astray from the topic here at hand.

And for those who are still stricken or just had about enough of the yellow fever, guess what. Cory magic is here again as the country commemorated on January 25 what would have been the 77th birthday of the woman we know as Cory, the woman in yellow.

To celebrate the said occasion, Manila Mayor and longtime Cory supporter Alfredo Lim inaugurated the first monument dedicated to her located right outside the Intramuros walls right across the historic Manila hotel. It would actually be the latest move in Lim’s “yellow fever craze” as some might call it, having already named a bridge, an elementary school, a university building, and a hospital after her in a span of 5 months.

If we are to be strictly historical about it, Intramuros with all its history had nothing to do with any event in Cory’s life, save for the fact perhaps that this Cory monument has been strategically placed right beside that of her husband, the late Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. or Ninoy as he’s popularly called. And no, that same spot has nothing to do as well with the events in Ninoy’s life. Then again both monuments are standing on wide open green spaces and along a spacious path for joggers and visitors to enjoy as they walk outside the Intramuros walls.

The Cory monument was designed by renowned Filipino sculptor Eduardo Castrillo, who happens also to be the same sculptor behind the Rajah Sulayman monument, Our Lady of EDSA, and the Shrine of Pinaglabanan monument, among many others.

As the picture shows, the monument shows Cory flashing the ever-familiar “Laban” or “Fight” hand sign on her right while holding the 1987 Philippine Constitution document on her left which Castrillo explained was a symbolism of Cory’s legacy in restoring and upholding democratic rule in the country. I personally thought it was a nice touch.

In midst of all these johnnies-come-lately and opportunists who all of the sudden are showing their “appreciation” for Cory, somehow you’ll never fail to see a genuine appreciation from the very people Cory Aquino has served throughout her presidency. In spite of shortcomings of her presidency, there can be no doubt she did what she could as a leader given the circumstances that arose during her term, something we all have to be thankful for.

additional source: Inquirer

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