Cory

Why The World Needs Cory Aquino

By Jonathan Aquino

A mammoth crowd has gathered in a Zamboanga City plaza. It was a tension-filled snap-presidential campaign, and they are exultantly waiting for a woman in plain yellow dress to articulate their desire that freedom be returned. Suddenly, a grenade exploded in a nearby alley and chaos reigned – but Cory Aquino just sat there, unflinching, dignified and presidential

Cory Aquino is the conscience of the Philippine nation, the embodiment of all that is good, one of the rare individuals who are worthy to be called true Christians. This is the life of that bespectacled wonder woman, from the bio Corazon Aquino: The Journey To Power by Laurie Nadel, published by New York- based Julian Messner, a division of Simon & Schuster, and additional sources.

Corazon Cojuangco Aquino was born on Jan. 25, 1933 in Manila. Her father, Jose Cojuangco, was an industrialist, sugar baron and former congressman in Tarlac, a “peace-loving man” who “never said a bad thing about anybody,” recalls her cousin Sis. Virginia Fabella. Cory’s mother, Demetria Sumulong, was the daughter of a senator who ran for vice president in 1935.

“A quality Cory’s mother instilled in her was punctuality and, along with that, self-discipline,” says Nadel. “Demetria was also strong-willed, a quality that Cory developed and learned to hide behind her good manners and soft voice.”

Cory graduated valedictorian at St. Scholastica’s, an elite German-run convent school in Manila. After finishing her freshman year at the French-run Assumption, the entire family moved to the United States because most of the schools in the Philippines were destroyed during the war, and she entered Raven Hill Academy in Philadelphia. She transferred to, and graduated from, Notre Dame in Manhattan. In college, Cory majored in French at Mount Saint Vincent on the banks of the Hudson.

She took up law at Far Eastern University and, shortly after, got married to a young Manila Times reporter when they were both 21.

Benigno Aquino Jr., sent to the Korean War at 17, still holds the record as the country’s youngest war correspondent. He was also a technical assistant to President Ramon Magsaysay – and the chief negotiator in the surrender of Huk guerilla leader Luis Taruc.

His father, Benigno Sr., had served as senator, Cabinet member and Speaker of the National Assembly; and his grandfather Gen. Sevillano Aquino, a Revolutionary War hero who had fought against both the Spanish and the Americans, gave him the nickname “Ninoy.”

Ninoy’s track record remains solid: the youngest mayor (at 23, of Concepcion, Tarlac); the youngest vice-governor (25); the youngest governor (27); and the youngest Senator (34 years and 354 days old). He would have been our youngest President in 1973 but President Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law on Sept. 21, 1972, and Ninoy was imprisoned with bogus charges for almost a decade – subjected mostly to the psychological torture known as solitary confinement

It was a turning point in Cory’s life. She underwent a transformation that those who have known her all her life saw her indomitable spirit for the first time. “It was then that I finally came into my own,” as she herself recalls.

Cory, a very private person, campaigned in behalf of Ninoy during the 1978 National Assembly elections together with three of her children: Ballsy, Noynoy and 7-year old Kris – and Marcos blasted her for “exploiting” them. Cory faced the dictator and boldly – and gracefully -- made okray: “My kids would be happy to stop campaigning for their father if you would just let him out of jail so he can do it himself!”

Even in the abyss of incarceration, Ninoy achieved a superhuman feat unheard of since Jesus – a 40 day hunger strike. As a signal of protest against the evils of absolute power, it was, naturally, ignored by the government.

The worst is yet to come. “In 1980, while his sentence was under review by the Supreme Court, a judicial body packed with Marcos cronies, Ninoy suffered a major heart attack,” reports Nadel. Marcos knew it would be an international scandal – always a bad PR – if Ninoy dies while in prison, so he decided to let him go into exile to Boston.

Those three years of “family togetherness” is the happiest moment in the lives of the Aquino family. Ninoy’s formidable brainpower made him a fellow at both Harvard and MIT, and became an even louder critic of the regime.

His homecoming on Aug. 21, 1983 remains a day of infamy in the collective memory of the Filipino people. Soldiers blocked the journalists and escorted him out of the plane – and gunshots rang out in a matter of seconds.

As the widow of the slain opposition leader, Cory was the soul of the fight against martial rule. She was the rallying figure of the massive demonstrations wrought by Ninoy’s brutal assassination. The world press was riveted by the Philippines as history unfolded before their very eyes.
Under international pressure, Marcos called for a snap election in 1985. Cory became the unifying factor of the scattered opposition. It was now a showdown between Marcos and Cory. A huge wave of national outrage was again triggered when it became clear that Marcos rigged the vote.
The Secretary of National Defense and the Vice-Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces withdrew their support to the regime – but they became trapped in Camp Crame and Camp Aguinaldo. Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin galvanized the entire nation to take to the streets and barricade the camps.
The sight of millions of men, women and children calling for peaceful change and national solidarity was spectacular and unprecedented. U.S. President Ronald Reagan called Marcos to step down to avoid bloodshed – and Cory Aquino was hailed as the true President.
Today, she remains as one of the most revered leaders in the world. Despite having retired from public office, she is still the most influential voice for freedom and moral regeneration in the Philippines. One of her most enduring legacies is the 1987 Constitution -- with its protection of civil liberties, press freedom and political check-and-balance.
But her greatest achievement is saving the lives of generations of Filipinos: without Cory, Marcos would have died in office and the power vacuum would have been filled by extremists – Right, Left and Islamic. A power struggle of such magnitude would have plunged the country into the pits of anarchy, terrorism and genocide. Without Cory, the Philippines today would be like a combination of Burma, North Korea and Afghanistan.
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Niche

Where’s Your Niche?

By Jonathan Aquino

Pilita Corrales was in Greenhills when an idea clicked: Why not set up a place to catch the Music Museum crowd? With her husband Carlos Lopez and some partners, she started Kookabar which in February 2006 evolved to what is now Pilita’s, the Planet Hollywood of San Juan, and the “in” resto where patrons are serenaded with A Million Thanks To You by Asia’s Queen of Songs.

Your home is where you belongs and your niche is where is your business should be. A niche is your “Corner of the sky,” to quote Basil Valdez, and your “Place in this world,” to quote Michael W. Smith. Here are the arrows to find your market based on Secrets To Dominate Your Niche by Thomas Fernandez (who was in Manila recently to promote this book) and Sant Qui.

Understand clearly why you’re doing that thing you do. Floy Quintos and Karla Gutierrez, director of the Phil. Opera Co., staged Giacommo Puccini’s masterpiece La Boheme at the CCP with clear objectives aside from capturing the AB audience: promoting opera to today’s generation and showcasing the world-class talents of Filipino classical artists.

Go for the big time one step at a time. Cora Simpson’s manufacturing firm in Johannesburg is modest compared to her competitor’s in a contest that could make her career, but she’s the one who drew up Zakumi, the leopard with a green Afro – and now the official mascot of the 2010 World Cup in Africa.

Take your passion and make it happen. Richard Merk’s passion for jazz fueled his musical career, and seeing the success of the famed Calesa Bar on Roxas Blvd. during the ’80s inspired him to set up Merk’s Bar & Bistro at the Greenbelt 3, now the premier watering-hole for celebrities and heavy-duty music buffs.

Make sure you’ll make money. Dr. Vicki Belo formed the Belo Medical Group Inc. to meet the growing cosmetic needs of high-end clients, and also with the long-term aim of capturing the wave of the future: the medical tourism market. Her marketing techniques made cosmetic surgery, once taboo, a fashion statement. Used to be, “I like to thank Fanny Serrano for my make-up.” Now, it’s “I like to thank Dr. Vicki for my face.”

That about sums up what we’re talking about. It’s simply finding a need – a niche – and filling it.

Outstanding

The 10 Secrets of Outstanding Careers

By Jonathan Aquino

Fashion designer Patis Tesoro revived the natural fiber industry in the country in 1986 by her advocacy for piña cloth, a gossamer-like fabric made from a variety of pineapple grown in Aklan. Her campaign brought the piña cloth to Christofle, Printemps, Calvin Klein and other major international fashion houses.

What drives highly motivated people? When I was a student-volunteer during the first presidential race of the late Sen. Raul Roco in 1998, he taught us that the biggest room in the world is the room for self-improvement. This kaizen attitude, I realize, belongs in this collection of the ten keys to an excellent career.

Write a masterplan. Listing your goals defines your priorities. Stephen King became the greatest literary phenomenon of the 20th century because he wanted to be a brand name even before his first novel Carrie got published in 1974.

Arrange tasks. One way to build confidence is to meet short-term goals while still working out the bigger challenges. Before Kanye West hit the big time with his 2004 Grammy-nominated multi-platinum debut album The College Dropout, he had been producing hits for various hip-hop superstars including Jay-Z and Alicia Keys.

Be purpose-driven. The key to a sense of fulfillment is to live a meaningful life. Chess living legend Garry Kasparov knew he could make a difference in the defense of democracy and human-rights in Russia by becoming chairman of the United Civic Front in 2005, and he did.

Find role models. Our lives are enriched if we emulate good people. Bob Dylan’s musical career, from his 1964 “Blowin’ In The Wind” to his 2001 “Things Have Changed” – the Oscar-winning theme of Wonder Boys – was influenced by his great admiration for American folk giant Woody Guthrie.

Invest hard work. If you have worked hard for your cake then you deserve to eat it too. Hollywood icon Clint Eastwood has only superlative praises for Hillary Swank, who worked out 6 hours a day for 3 months, to play the lead in his 2005 Oscar-winning film Million Dollar Baby – where she also won her second Best Actress Award.

Change your self-image. How you function in life depends on how you view yourself. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of England has been consistently modernizing the monarchy to make it relevant to modern times. “This is a forward-looking organization,” Prince Andrew told Time in 2006. The now 82-year old Queen “isn’t legacy-focused – she’s future-focused.”

Don’t procrastinate. The world as we know it can be obsolete at any given moment so why up-date our upgrades? The Beatles achieved international superstardom in their teens, Sir Paul McCartney wrote the angst classic “Yesterday” when he was 24, and he’s still rockin’ – 2007 marked the launched of his CD Memory Almost Full, the 40th anniversary of Sgt. Pepper, and his 65th birthday.

Master your craft. You can be better no matter how good you are in whatever you do because you’re not obligated to be mediocre. Tiger Woods is well on his way to becoming the best golfer of all time; and although his short iron and wedge play were criticized during his first year as a pro, “Now they’re the strengths of his game,” says his coach Butch Harmon. “He’s a work in progress; anything that’s a weakness, he turns into a strength.”

Never surrender. The greatest success secret in the world is perseverance. Al Gore lost the 2004 presidential race because of a technicality but he’s till fighting global warming. The former United States Vice President has built Current TV, produced the Oscar-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth, and was honored the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

Assume responsibility. Everything we do or fail to do comes back to us. Rudy Giuliani earned his place in history by his heroic leadership during 9/11. “I was the mayor of New York,” he told Reader’s Digest in 2002. “My whole approach as mayor was to be there and to be in charge.”