Tita Cory was my art student

MANILA, Philippines - She was a housewife then, the widow of one of the most important martyrs of the martial law era. She would become the future president of the Republic of the Philippines, an icon of democracy known far and wide not just in our own shores but also to the world at large. And she was my art student.

It was in late 1983 when a good friend of the family, Carmela Borres, approached me and asked if I could handle an art workshop for a group of aspiring painters from prominent backgrounds. The group included the widow of a beloved hero, former Senator Benigno Aquino.

It was a great honor for me then. And it is a great honor for me now as I look back on those days. 

The art lessons started in the summer of ’84. We would gather on Thursdays, from lunchtime up to five in the afternoon, at the sixth floor of the executive lounge of the Cojuangco Building in Makati City. Aside from Cory Aquino, the group included her mother-in-law Doña Aurora Aquino, her eldest sister Terry Lopa, her younger sister Passy C. Teopaco, her daughter Ballsy A. Cruz, her niece Gina L. Bautista, Fritzi Aragon, and Philippine STAR founder-president Betty Go-Belmonte.

What struck me during our first meeting was how humble and unassuming Tita Cory was. During the first few art sessions, she was anxious to start painting with oil right away. My advice to all of them was to draw, draw and keep on drawing. I stressed to them how important the basics are in art.

“Ang higpit pala ng teacher natin,” Cory good-naturedly said. Early on, I noticed how Cory already had a great eye for detail, color and composition. And she always listened to what the teacher had to say.

“The basics will be your guide later on,” I told them. “When you draw, follow what you see.” I taught them how to render a model and how to use a pencil — properly. They drew jars, cones and still life objects. Once you’ve mastered shapes, I told them, you can take that skill and render more complicated things later on. Like faces. Like flowers that are not as easy to paint as people think. Flowers were what Cory loved to paint. I could be a stern teacher. She was very patient through it all.

The sessions were truly unforgettable. Doña Aurora, a jolly lady, would dance and sing whenever she finished a good drawing. The group looked forward to the usual late arrival from newspaper work of Betty Go-Belmonte who always brought bags of merienda to the workshop like hopia and other goodies. I remember art collector Baby Lopa, husband of Terry Lopa, came one time to observe in our workshop and commented, “Raul, akala ko puro abstract lang ang alam mo — marunong ka rin pala ng figura!”

Everybody laughed, especially Tita Cory.

There were anxious moments, as well. I would hear open conversations among the workshop members regarding Cory being convinced and endorsed by different organizations to run for president in the forthcoming national elections. 

She was constantly on the phone. I recall there were even some overseas calls. At that time she made it known to everyone that she hadn’t decided to run for president yet. It was not on her agenda. She said she would only run if there were enough signatures. The signatures kept coming. The clamor swelled. She gave in. The rest, as they say, is history.

Tita Cory graciously attended my solo exhibition of landscapes in pastels with some members of our art workshop in 1984. During the opening cocktails, Tita Cory noticed two TV stations covering the show and one them was from the government station which she fearlessly faced each time the cameraman panned the camera in her direction. 

Cory impishly and jokingly remarked, “Raul, hindi ko akalain crony ka pala!” How she laughed.

She visited our house on Reposo where I maintained a gallery back then. My wife and I had lots of pictures with Cory. Unfortunately, we lost some of those irreplaceable snapshots.

The art lessons were cut short when Tita Cory was asked to be one of the three members of the conveners’ group tasked with selecting the presidential candidate for the opposition. It was meant to end sooner or later. 

My family at that time was preparing for our trip to the United States where we stayed from 1985 to 1995. Prior to our trip Tita Cory called up my wife Annabelle to seek permission if she could mention my name in a magazine article as her “art therapist.” Sus — of course. That was our answer.  

Cory made another touching gesture. She offered her good winter coats for our trip to the US. She also mentioned that the years she and Ninoy spent together in the States were the most memorable ones in their life — and she wished it would be the same for us. 

When Cory became president in ’86, our family sent her a congratulatory cablegram from California. She graciously replied: More than ever, I need your prayers now. And when our daughter Tricia got married in ’91, she sent us a touching letter. 

My Caucasian friends marveled at how the President was one of my art students. I even had a hotline to Malacañang. One time I called and the voice at the other end of the line gruffly said, “How did you get this number?” So I answered, “Kaibigan ako ng boss mo.”

In ’91, I mounted a comeback show, my first one in Manila after six years, which Betty Go-Belmonte wrote about in her “Pebbles” column in The Philippine STAR, which came out on Jan. 4, 1991. In Betty’s article, titled “Our Teacher is Having an Exhibit,” she mentioned those memorable art workshops with Tita Cory and friends. The opening reception was a reunion of sorts. The budding painters who gathered every Thursday at the Cojuangco Building were present. It was quite touching.

In 1992, I met with Tita Cory again — not knowing it would be our last conversation. We talked about art and family.

Cory Cojuangco Aquino, the shining beacon of democracy, became a painter in her own right — a prolific one, at that. That shows you how patience bears fruit. She did it in politics, and she did the same in painting. I will never forget Tita Cory, the President, the artist, a beautiful person inside and out.