Grandchildren pay tribute to Cory

My biggest supporter

By Jiggy Aquino Cruz

I don’t know what life will bring the next few days, weeks, or years. But what I do know is that I will forever miss my lola.

I will miss everything about her. The happiness of her eight grandchildren meant everything to her and she never put herself ahead of anyone.

During her final weeks on this earth, I ran a popular marathon for the first time and I told her that I’d be running for her. When I finished my first ever 10-km run, I texted my mom that I finished and she told me immediately that when Lola woke up, the first thing she asked was “How did Jiggy do?”

From the time I was born until the final days of her life, Lola never failed to support me. She was present in every graduation. She was there when I was confined in the hospital. She was there right after I signed my contract at work. She was even there to be the major editor for that book that I launched.

I lost a huge part of my life and I don’t know how I’ll move on without her. Now, my Lola left us a name greater than ever before and it’s up to us to preserve that name.

Dearest Lola, thank you for your love, sacrifices, support, for everything! I promise to take care of my mom all the days of my life like I told you in the hospital. I love you so very much Lola. I’ll miss you forever.

Super lola

By Miguel Aquino Abellada

Lola Corazon C. Aquino, or Lola Cory to us, was not your typical grandmother. In fact, she was Super lola. 

Lola Cory never scolded any of us. Whenever any of us did something she did not particularly like, she would just give us this certain look of disappointment and would calmly say, “Tama na iyan.” That alone would change everything. Lola Cory treated all of us equally, there were no favorites and she made sure we knew that. Whenever she’d give us shopping money and one of us was absent, the absentee would get his/her share sent to him/her. 

Lola Cory was always there. She never missed our birthdays and would always have a card and gift ready. She also never missed any of our special days. She was there to witness her apos (grandchildren) receive Holy Communion for the first time. She was there to watch my basketball games, and gave me a hug when we won the championship.

Lola, I will miss your Swedish Meatballs and Callos. I will miss spending Sundays in Times. I will miss our nightly dinners in Tita Ballsy’s house. I will miss making you “akay” to and from our house for Saturday dinners. But most of all, I will miss YOU and how it was to have a grandmother like you.

I truly hope that you are now smiling down on us while holding Lolo Ninoy’s hand. I am consoled by the fact that you will now be able to guide us 24/7. I love you, Lola.

Cory Aquino: The Hero

By Kiko Aquino Dee

Any account I write about my lola must first begin with the painful fact that I lacked as an apo (grandchild). Because of this, I never really saw her as a lola as much as I saw her as a hero, one whom I’ve had the privilege to get close to and, instead of being disappointed because of some hidden personal flaw, admire even more as a result of the little traits I’ve had the chance to see her exhibit.

Without a doubt, Cory Aquino was a hero, in every way possible. In the personal realm, she would do anything for those whom she loved (and she loved everyone). The outpouring of all the wonderful stories being told now about some small act of kindness she would do for all kinds of people, mostly those from the humblest beginnings, is a testament to that.

In civil society, she uplifted so many of her fellow Filipinos’ lives, again mostly those from humble beginnings, through charity projects, the most recent examples of which are her microfinance programs. Finally, in the political realm, despite her own humble beginnings, she was the mother of our democracy, rebirthing it through Power Power I and protecting it against every threat, from Charter change in the late 1990s, to corruption in the early 2000s, to electoral fraud in the later 2000s, and finally, Charter change again right before she passed. She was the Superman of the Philippines, perfect in nearly every way and constantly saving her people from harm.

The Superman analog calls to mind another superhero: the Dark Knight. In the movie of the same name, a distinction was made between heroes – the heroes we need and the heroes we deserve. There is no question that we need heroes like her, but earlier on, I believed that I did not deserve a hero like Cory Aquino. I felt that there was nothing I could’ve possibly done or ever do in my short life that could merit her as a reward, and I dare say that such is the same for most of us. I felt she was the hero we need but not the hero we deserved, but I was wrong. In her address to the US Congress during her presidency, she stated that the Filipino deserves so much more than what he has and that she would strive to give him what he deserves. She truly believed that the Filipino deserved her. She felt she was the hero we need and the hero we deserve.

Why though did she feel this way? In a 2004 interview, as a message to all the Filipinos she served, she said that she was thankful that the Filipino people allowed her to be one of them. Therein, perhaps, is the answer to our question. She was a Filipino, and just as every person feels, and rightly so, that he or she deserves food, shelter, and an honest living, she believed that she, as a Filipino, deserved these things, and that all other Filipinos do as well.

Studying Cory Aquino’s life really makes me think about what it takes to be a good leader. She was a simple and humble person, satisfied to stay in the sidelines, but when the people called her, she answered. I think that is the defining trait of any good leader, to have the courage to truly answer the call and serve the people. She never turned her back on her call. As she said in her final SONA, her time as president may end, but her responsibilities as a Filipino citizen will be with her to her death, and she never ceased to act upon them until her death.

The ability to answer a call, however, is not some in-born trait. It is something every man has the potential to do. All one needs is the courage to answer, and the will to stay the course, both of which are learned, not gained. Every person and most definitely every Filipino has, therefore, the potential to be a hero, to be Cory Aquino: the hero we need, the hero we deserve, and the hero we all can be.

For Lola Cory

By Nina Aquino Abellada

Oftentimes, people would ask me how Lola Cory was as a lola. They were always eager to know what she was like in real life, away from the public eye.

Lola had an extraordinary gift of touching people’s lives. She always made a huge and lasting impact on the people she met. I was, and still am, so blessed to have a lola like her. 

She was my number one defender. As a kid, she would fight for me whenever my parents would reprimand me. And whenever I was teased or bullied by my kuya (elder brother), she would always be on my side.

Aside from being my number one defender, Lola was one of the most thoughtful people I know on this planet. During her trips, she would always bring me home trinkets. She also knew of my love for mangoes and her lamb chops. During Sunday lunches, Lola made sure that my favorite lamb chops were part of the menu. As for the mangoes, this was the constant thing that she would have during dinner. She would always send to my house some of the mangoes given to her.

But Lola Cory’s thoughtfulness went beyond material things. She would go out of her way to make me happy. I remember once she even accompanied me to TriNoma when it opened. Looking back, I believe that she really went to the mall on a crowded Sunday just for me.

She didn’t really get the chance to shop because people would stop her for pictures. Nevertheless, she gamely brought me to the stores that I was eager to see. Even during her most difficult days, she always made an effort to ask how my day was whenever I would go to her room. There were even times when she would be the one to remind my mom about my whereabouts when I was not home for dinner.

Just a few months ago, I asked Lola to sign a card for a friend’s birthday. She signed it right away without any hesitation. It was only later that I found out that Lola had difficulty in writing legibly because of the tingling feeling she had on her fingers, a side effect of her chemotherapy. As soon as I found out, I apologized repeatedly for making her go through so much trouble. The response I got from her is something that I will never forget. She said, “No, no. It’s okay, anything for Nina.”

The list of the things that Lola has done for me would be too long if I had to write it down here.

I am truly blessed to have had her in my 20 years of existence in this world.

For many, she will be missed because of the things that she has done for the country. She will be remembered by many as an icon of democracy, a former President. But on a deeper and more personal note, I will miss Lola because of all the things that she has done and sacrificed for me. With all the prestigious titles given, I will remember her, first and foremost, as simply my lola.

She brought back trust

By Jonty Aquino Cruz

 If there is one thing I’d like people to know, it is that the presidency did not make my lola great, but I believe it was the other way around. My lola made people trust and believe in their leader again and she did this by being honest, transparent and through true public service. Before, during and after her presidency, she continued and remained who she truly was, a simple, loving and faithful person.

And finally, I’d like to tell my lola how grateful I am to be her grandson. She was more than my lola. She was my protector from harm, my lawyer who defended me. She gave me so much when I was happy, sad and even for no reason at all. She always took care of me and gave me countless experiences that I will always treasure. I will miss her so much.

But I will miss the most the times I spent with her and my mom alone. From going to Tarlac, staying at home or in their office, I’ve never felt more love and peace than when it was just the three of us. I love and miss you so much, Lola.