'Together they changed the face of our nation'

Theirs is one of the greatest modern love stories ever told. Even before Tom Cruise in the movie Jerry Maguire made famous the line, “You complete me,” that line was already the essence of the love story of Ninoy and Cory Aquino. Last Oct. 11, Ninoy and Cory would have celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary.

“Mom often said that she and Dad were two opposite personalities who complemented each other,” Ballsy Cruz, Ninoy and Cory’s eldest daughter, said Tuesday at the launch of the Aquino Museum Re-design Competition, a contest that aims to find the best design that will capture the impact of Ninoy and Cory on Philippine history.

“They filled in for each other’s needs and shortcomings and lifted each other up in their most trying moments,” Ballsy continued. “Perhaps, it could be said that they were two sides of the same coin.”

“Dad, the glib master politician, realized his true mission in the loneliness of a prison cell and emerged a far better and stronger human being. Mom, the self-effacing housewife, was thrust into a position of leadership that she could not spurn and emerged a source of inspiration for millions. Together, as destiny would have it, they changed the face of our nation,” Ballsy added.

After her presidency, Cory dedicated much of her time to building a museum that would honor her beloved Ninoy and his legacy. Self-effacing as she was and even if she was a former President, she did not put much of herself into the Museum. 

The Museum Re-design Competition was spurred after Cory’s death by the need for a more comprehensive coverage of her life and legacy. At present, much of the Museum space is dedicated to the exhibition on the life of Ninoy, whose assassination in August 1983 led to the emergence of People Power in February 1986.

But as Ballsy noted, “When Mom passed on last year, the tremendous outpouring of affection and respect for her made it clear that she had accomplished far more than just continuing Dad’s unfinished work. She had earned her place in the hearts and minds of our countrymen…”

Like Ballsy, several groups thought it fitting “that the Aquino Center be re-designed and updated to reflect, as well, what it is about the person, life and legacy of Cory Aquino that inspires and animates so many.”

“At present, the Center’s Museum only speaks of Mom in terms of her role in unifying the democratic forces following Dad’s assassination, in ascending to the Presidency on the wave of People Power, and in restoring our democratic institutions.”

“Dad’s sheer flamboyance and dramatic exit make him truly a hard act to follow, indeed, but Mom’s quiet strength and unwavering spirituality are just as compelling a story about human character,” Ballsy shared. (Now, are you still wondering why Noynoy became President? —JRMR)

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Lafarge Cement Services (Philippines), Inc., with the endorsement of the Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation (NCAF), thus embarked on a project that would re-design the Museum, built in 2001, to reflect the legacies “of both sides of the same coin.”

It is calling on all architects, designers, conservators and curators to participate in the competition, which invites participants to each submit a creative and cost-efficient design scheme for the Museum Section of the Aquino Center in Tarlac.

“For the past many years, Republic Cement Corp. and Iligan Cement Corp., both Lafarge-Associated Companies, have made it a commitment to support landmarks of our Filipino identity,” said Cirilo Pestaño II, VP-Communications of Lafarge Cement Services (Philippines), Inc. “As we launch the redevelopment of the Aquino Museum, we embark on another journey as we continue our support for the preservation of the memories of two Filipino icons of democracy who shaped Philippine history.”

“With this endeavor of Lafarge, we are happy and thankful that we will have the opportunity to better preserve the memory and promote the legacy of Ninoy and Cory Aquino,” said Dan Lichauco, a trustee of the Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation, a nephew of Ninoy, who was one of the architects who built the Aquino Center.

From the initial entries, three finalists will be chosen and given funding to further develop their designs. Out of the three, one will be awarded a design contract for the implementation of their proposal. The competition’s board of judges is composed of Ballsy, Dan Lichauco, Rene Sunico, Marilou Diaz-Abaya, Emily Abrera, Ino Manalo, Ricky Abad, Manolo Quezon and Guillermo Luz.

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 “The Aquinos’ great, great sacrifices have yielded great, great benefits for our country,” said Don Jaime Zobel de Ayala, who offered to display the memorabilia of Ninoy (including his blood-stained bulletproof vest and inner shirt) and Cory (including the callado yellow dress she wore when she took her oath on Feb. 25, 1986 at the Club Filipino) at the Ayala Museum in Makati while the Center is being renovated. He expressed hope that those who will see the Aquino memorabilia will emerge prouder about being Filipino, as he is. (“I was born a Filipino and will die a Filipino!” declares Don Jaime.)

The winning entry to the re-design competition will be announced no later than February 25, 2011 and the winning team may be engaged to build and implement the winning design.

(For more details and inquiries, interested parties may contact Ms. Myle Macalam of Lafarge at 0917-8077365.)

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