Noynoy: We can't thank the public enough

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III yesterday said he and his family could not thank the people enough for the outpouring of love and support for their mother, the late former President Corazon Aquino, when they bid her farewell on Wednesday in a funeral procession and interment that lasted more than 10 hours.

He said he and his sisters were especially thankful to those who lined up for hours to get a final glimpse of their mother.

The Aquino family also appreciated the sacrifices of the people who waited on the streets where the cortege passed and how they walked from the Manila Cathedral in Intramuros, Manila to the Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque City.

In their coaster, the senator and his siblings, along with the rest of the family, waved at the crowds who were chanting “Cory! Cory!” and flashing Laban signs, aside from waving their placards, releasing flowers and balloons to show their gratitude for Mrs. Aquino.

Walking with the crowd

Noynoy said he and his cousin, actress Mikee Cojuangco, decided to walk and run at some point with the people when the crowds were so large the convoy could not move.

He stressed he was amazed that he was able to walk several kilometers behind the truck bearing his mother’s remains.

Noynoy said he now knows how difficult it was to walk for such a long distance.

He said he had to get off the coaster to go to the bathroom and get a drink, which many people were not able to do anymore since it was difficult to move around due to the huge crowds, traffic and security.

Noynoy said he had not been getting enough sleep due to preparations for the wake and funeral, and all this after the times they stayed in the hospital since his mother was confined for a month due to colon cancer. Mrs. Aquino died in the early morning hours of Aug. 1.

And because he was caught in the large throng of people in Sucat, Noynoy said he almost did not make it to the burial site in time for the state honors for his mother.

“It was good I made it because I had a role to play there. Seriously, our problem now is, how do we thank everyone?” Noynoy told The STAR in a telephone interview.

He said he was glad that the funeral rites for his mother were accomplished with the “appropriate dignity” despite the large number of people who came to participate.

“When I got home, there were still people waiting outside our home (on Times street in Quezon City) and all I could do was just really thank them,” Noynoy said.

CBCP backs suggestions for Cory’s sainthood

Meanwhile, a high-ranking member of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) yesterday said that he backs suggestions for the Catholic Church to canonize Mrs. Aquino as a saint.

Lipa, Batangas Archbishop Ramon Arguelles told the Church-run Radio Veritas that he sees nothing wrong with this proposal, in fact, he even thought of Mrs. Aquino as the female version of St. Thomas More, an English lawyer who occupied many public offices such as Lord Chancellor.

Sir More was beheaded in 1535 when he refused to sign the Act of Supremacy that would have declared King Henry VIII Supreme Head of the Church of England. In 1935, Pope Pius XI canonized him and he was declared patron saint of politicians and statesmen by Pope John Paul II in 2000.

Archbishop Arguelles said, “Definitely (Cory) is a saint because after all that she has done, she is definitely in heaven. The Church makes saints out of people who could become models (for the Church). It is as if God wants this person to be known all over as its model.” – With Mayen Jaymalin, Reinir Padua, Evelyn Macairan and Pia Lee-Brago