‘I was lone Cebu mayor for Cory’

CEBU, Philippines - Bogo City Mayor Celestino “Junie” Martinez Jr. recalled being the only one who stood for the late President Corazon “Cory” Aquino in the 1986 snap elections out of the 52 Cebu mayors.

Martinez, who was mayor of the then municipality of Bogo, remembered Cory having lunch at his old residence in Barangay Buac during the campaign.

Cory’s rallies for the presidential election were only held in Cebu City and in Bogo.

The elections were held on Feb. 7, 1986. The Commission on Elections (COMELEC), declared the sitting dictator Ferdinand Marcos the winner.

The final COMELEC tally had Marcos winning with 10,807,197 votes against Aquino’s 9,291,761. That of accredited poll watcher National Movement for Free Elections, however, had Cory winning with 7,835,070 votes against Marcos’ 7,053,068.

The electoral exercise was marred by widespread reports of violence and tampering of election results, culminating in the walkout of 29 COMELEC computer technicians who protested the deliberate manipulation of official election results to favor Marcos.

The walkout was considered as one of the early “sparks” of the People Power Revolution.

The Filipino people refused to accept COMELEC’s results, and it lead to what is the country is celebrating today.

Martinez stayed as mayor when Aquino appointed officers-in-charge in all cities and municipalities when became president on Feb. 25, 1986 after Marcos fled out of Malacañang.

Four days prior, on Feb. 21, Cory spent the night at the Carmelite Monastery in Mabolo, Cebu City with her daughter Kris, her brother Jose “Peping” Cojuangco and friends Antonio and Nancy Cuenco.

The next day, Cory had breakfast with fellow opposition leaders, including former senator and now Toledo City Mayor John Henry “Sonny” Osmeña.

Both Osmeña and Martinez were elected as congressmen in the third and fourth districts, respectively, in the 1987 elections.

Fast forward to September 2009, Osmeña and Martinez launched opposition bloc Panaghiusa in Cebu as chairman and vice-chairman, respectively.

Many of those present wore yellow, a color closely associated with Cory, whose son, then senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, had already announced his intent to run for president under the banner of the Liberal Party in the 2010 elections.

Aside from the yellow color, the shirts worn by many in attendance in the Panaghiusa launching also bore the Laban sign, which is done by forming the letter L using the thumb and forefinger.

The sign was made by the opposition during the singing of the song “Bayan Ko,” which became the theme song of the EDSA People’s Power Revolution that catapulted Cory to power in 1986.

Exactly 28 years ago today, the events of EDSA, particularly that of the civilians protesters and the soldiers exchanging flowers and miniature flags, would be reenacted at the Capitol grounds, with Noynoy now as Philippine president addressing the entire nation. (FREEMAN)