Bringing out the good in the Filipino

By Ellen Tordesillas

In death, Cory Aquino has become larger than life.

Seeing the sea of humanity that accompanied her to her mortal resting place re-affirmed my faith in the Filipino.

Wednesday, we all came together, braving hunger and rain, to pay tribute to a woman who embodies, what we believe is good, honest, humble, brave. The scenes along the South Luzon Expressway were awesome. They filled not only the streets but also the flyovers. Northbound vehicles stopped and passengers converted the inner lane into parking space while they joined crowds chanting “Cory! Cory!” while flashing the Laban sign. Cargo vehicles became platforms where people waved instant placards with handwritten messages professing love and gratitude for Cory.

On the 6th hour of the funeral procession and we were somewhere in Bicutan (I was in the media car, about five vehicles ahead of the flatbed truck carrying Cory’s remains), there came several marchers. I asked them where they started their march and they replied, “Manila Cathedral.” Amazing!

Actually I nearly also walked the 22-kilometer distance from Manila Cathedral to the Manila Memorial in Sucat, Parañaque. When I was looking for the media bus, before the funeral started, Alex Lacson, author of “Twelve Things a Filipino Can Do for the Country” said, “I’m thinking of walking. Do you want to join me?”

I liked the idea but I had second thoughts when Chief Superintendent Roberto “Boysie” Rosales of the National Capital Region said we might be left behind because the funeral march was a motorcade. Just then, I was able to locate the media bus. I thought that since I would be filing stories, it would be better for me to be in the media bus.

I found out later that Lacson and friends did walk the distance, at least the longer portion of it and arrived at the Manila Memorial past 2 p.m., way ahead of all of us.

Lacson said he felt he had to do it because he owes Cory a lot. When he finished writing his book in February 2005, he sent Cory, whom he did not personally know, the final draft and requested her to write a foreword because he felt that the message of his book was the same message of change that she was advocating.

Lacson said just after a week, he got Cory’s “beautiful foreword.” Not only that, Cory asked her daughter Kris, who is one of the top product endorsers in the country today, to promote it in her TV shows.

In one of the episodes of “Game Ka Na Ba?” Lacson said Kris asked a question, the answer of which was the title of his book.

A few weeks after, a relative, former Negros Occidental governor Bitoy Lacson, asked him to join him to visit the Ninoy Aquino museum in Hacienda Luisita. When they were in the car with Cory, she mentioned about her asking Kris to help promote his book.

With Cory as publicity chief, how can the book not be a bestseller?

Alex said he felt good that he sweated it out to Cory’s resting place last Wednesday.

 

 

 

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