It was 1983 when I first 'met' Cory. Shortly after Ninoy's death, the Cory I knew made me think what a simple and strong woman she was to take all of what's happened to her.
The Cory I knew made me put a 'Cory' sticker on our front gate during the snap elections. Not such a big thing but considering our gate was plastered with Marcos posters she made me feel I did something to help.
The Cory I knew made me feel brave when during the Edsa Revolution, I went to Club Filipino be at her inauguration. She made me go to Edsa after that too... I stayed at the old VV Soliven Tower to show that we could no longer live with a dictator in our lives.
The Cory I knew made me feel proud to be a Filipino when she gave that memorable speech in the U.S. Congress. I felt that being a Filipino was the best thing in the World back then!
The Cory I knew made me fight for our democracy... sort of. It was during one of the coup attempts when power to our village was interrupted because of a transformer being shot by the rebel group. Along with the whole village, we patrolled our neighborhood, making sure no rebel soldier entered our area.
The Cory I knew made me feel betrayed. It's been a few years and nothing seems to have improved in our country. The poor were getting poorer, the rich richer. Nothing seems to have changed. Even the price of 'galunggong' went up!
The Cory I knew disillusioned me. There was talk of her running once more for the Presidency. She's turning out to be just the same as all those other politicians... one taste of power and they want all they can get.
The Cory I knew made me feel I was so wrong. She stepped down as President, as she promised, even though her 'advisers' told her she could run again. The Cory I knew made me feel proud again to have stood up for her.
The Cory I knew made me feel sorry for her. I couldn't imagine what it was to be the mother of Kris. She must have spent a fortune on migraine medication because of all the grief her daughter was giving her.
The Cory I knew made me go along with Edsa 2. Coming from a long night at work, I saw the initial gathering at the Edsa Shrine. Cars were beeping the 'Cory' and I joined in as well!
The Cory I knew made me wonder where she was. Shortly after the Edsa 2 revolution, and I didn't hear much about her. Maybe like most others, I was just too busy with life to care much about anything else.
The Cory I knew made me disappointed in her once again. I read in the news that she apologized to Estrada for Edsa 2. That made me really mad. She shouldn't have done that, she shouldn't need to do that, she's Cory Aquino!
The Cory I knew broke my heart. I found out that day she had cancer. I expected her to live to be a hundred. This could not be happening to her, not her.
The Cory I knew lived up to who I thought her to be. Throughout her sickness she was a picture of peace and strength. Never did I see or hear about her complaining about what fate has dealt her. She also made me feel ashamed for complaining about the most minor aches and pains. What I was feeling was nothing compared to what she was going through.
The Cory I knew had passed away and finally laid to rest today. She's gone and now it's up to us to keep her dream alive.
Lastly, the Cory I knew should never be called 'Former President'. To me she is THE President of our country.
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