If Kris Aquino is Ninoy’s child, Ballsy is her mother’s daughter. She was her mother’s private secretary during President Cory’s time in Malacanang until her term ended in 1992. Quiet, unassuming and hardworking, Ballsy was the person to whom all communications were channeled before reaching the President. In the Guesthouse, she was the main access of the staff to Cory. She held office in the same room as her mother, working from a small desk.
The first thing a person will notice about Ballsy is her constant and very sincere smile. Like her mother, she had this unique ability to carry on a conversation with anyone with a smile on her lips. I often told her that I wished that I could emulate the same expression when I was talking. The effect was to make the person she was talking to completely at ease and comfortable.
Accompanying her mother to official functions, she would immediately make for the area where she could be least noticed. When she entered the Guesthouse, she preferred to pass through the side door rather than the main door. Clearly, she shunned the limelight yet she dutifully stood by her mother’s side when the need arose. I always thought President Cory immensely blessed because she had a daughter like Ballsy. Patient and always cheerful, she gave up her time and energy to work in the government and serve the country. What it must have cost her, an exceedingly private person, to appear so often in public. Yet, she did it without complaint and with charming grace.
Ballsy, again like her mother, is extremely considerate and is always on the lookout for people’s welfare. At one social function where we were seated together, I was astounded when she immediately grabbed the glass that I was about to drink from. It turned out that the rim of the glass had a chip and she didn’t want me to injure my lips. I hadn’t noticed, but she did.
Of all of Cory’s children, she was the one who helped her mother through the many coups and calamities that the country endured. She remained steadfast and calm no matter what.
But I believe that it was during her mother’s wake and funeral that Ballsy really shone. When the Marcos children went to Cory’s wake, she was incredibly gracious towards them, turning what would have been an awkward moment, into a warm and friendly encounter. At the cemetery, she stood with awesome dignity as the coffin of her mother was being placed in its final resting place. Her face was so calm and she was so regal that anyone watching her could not help but salute her.
Like other Filipinos in the country, I had shed many tears at the demise of President Cory.
However, as I watched Ballsy conduct herself in a manner very much like her mother, I realized that I need not grieve. Cory Aquino still lived — in Ballsy.
* * *
The author worked in the Palace Legal Office under Flerida Ruth Romero during the term of President Cory Aquino.