Today in Manila, Philippines a crowd of over one hundred thousand packed the streets to bid farewell to former Philippines president Corazon Aquino, who served from 1986 to 1992. Aquino was the Philippines 11th and 1st woman president. On the streets the sky was clouded with yellow confetti and mourners chanted out Aquino's nickname, "Cory!" Mourners waved banners that read, "Auntie Cory we love you," "Continue the fight against tyranny," and "Cory, a symbol of clean politics."
Aquino died last Saturday at the age of 76, due to colon cancer. In the Philippines Aquino is remembered as being a housewife who became a politician after her husband, Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. was assassinated in 1983. The assassination was believed to have been ordered by then president Ferdinand Marcos for Aquino, Jr. was said to be his biggest rival at the time. After Aquino lost a disputed election in 1986, Marcos became the target of Aquino's "People Power" uprising and was eventually removed from office. Internationally Aquino was praised for her peaceful ousting of Marcos as president. Later that year she was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize and was awarded the honor of Times Magazine's "Woman of the Year."http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/06/world/asia/06aquino.html?hpw
http://www.cwwl.org/council/bio-aquino-corazon.html
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