coffee break

it’s no big secret that i am, and will forever be a cory fan. i’m not a person to be shy for things i believe in, and in fact i’m even proud to say that cory is my favorite president. i remember at grade school that i would go on debates defending then president cory from my classmates. up until recently, when people articulate her lack of governance skills and will power to lead.

let me explain myself. my dad’s family is from a long line of politicians. way before,  dating to my great grand dad. i even saw 3 sacks of puppet money that the japanese handed out during the world war 2 in our old house that supposedly was stolen from the barracks. during the later part of the martial law period, my dad was incarcerated. i was too young to understand it, although old enough to read the letter they handed out our family. all i can make out of it is that it was from malacanang. fortunately my dad was release after the martial law was  lifted, shortly after ninoy’s death. one reason why my mom bade my dad not to enter politics. the letter stuck to me, a letter telling my dad that he was to be arrested by virtue of plotting against the government, my mom told me much later when i was old enough to understand. to some, it may seemed coincidental. maybe it is. but what really made me admire and respect this woman is, i feel for her cause. i feel how important she is to the filipino people. even during the time that us filipinos failed her, she still was there for us. she by virtue of her stature and lineage is not a simple woman. coming from a rich clan of aristocratic hacinderos, married to a prominent and revered politician, became the president of the philippines with both executive and legislative power. these are not what  simple woman face, but she chose to be simple. i guess that is her difference. she chose to be simple, to lead a simple life for her and her family. she assumed nothing but the trust of the filipino men. guarded it to her very last breathe.

on this day that we laid her on her final resting place, i feel a sense of lost. we have lost a good person whose interest is to better us. we lost a person who gave not only her life to the servitude of the filipinos but also the life of her husband in doing so. but i also feel a great sense of pride, that a person as magnanimous as she is, is proud to be a filipino. that is ultimately what i learned from her, to be a proud filipino.

the only person i will acknowledge as my president. you can argue with figures, poverty line, growth, etc. but the fact is, her presidency is not about those. it’s restoring social order, it’s about giving you back your freedom, your democracy.

i respect her as a leader, even without the title of president of the philippines. i admire her selflessness, her undying passion to do what is right even how contentious it is. she followed what she believes is right and just. they say that presidents should do what is right, but she followed what is in her heart and conscience. she may not have made the best decisions, alleviate us from poverty but she led us out of the hands of a tyrant. selflessly gave up power. silently and vigilantly watch over our best interest.

i hope you get better. in these days were morality, intentions and heart are in question, we need you more than ever. show us once again how to lead.