Kris: Torch has been passed to us

IT is now up to the Aquino siblings to complete the unfinished task of their parents, said Kris Aquino who spoke yesterday at the Manila Cathedral in Intramuros, during a funeral mass for her mother, former President Corazon Aquino.

Mrs. Aquino, known worldwide as a "people power" icon who restored democracy in the country after 20 years of dictatorship, broke ties with President Arroyo in 1995 amid allegations Arroyo cheated her way to victory in the 2004 elections. Mrs. Aquino had asked Arroyo to make the "supreme sacrifice" and step down from office.

Kris’ father, former senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., a staunch oppositionist during the dictatorship, was slain in 1983 as he returned to the Philippines. The assassination sparked massive street protests that eventually culminated in the "People Power Revolt" or Edsa 1.

The mass began right on schedule at 9 a.m. and was attended by, among others, former President Fidel Ramos, Papal Nuncio Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams, East Timor President Jose Ramos Horta, Vice President Noli de Castro, lawmakers, Cabinet members of the Aquino administration, local officials senators.

Among members of the religious sector present were Manila Archbishop Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales, Archbishops Ramon Arguelles (Lipa) and Paciano Aniceto (Pampanga), and Bishops Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez (Caloocan) and Antonio Tobias (Novaliches).

The 2,000-capacity cathedral was full.

Kris said their mother had final words for her and her siblings – "Take care of each other."

For her, Kris said the message "were meant not only for our family but for all of us as a nation."

She said this trait of her mother pretty much sums up her love for the country.

"Mom believed that true public service did not end when one’s term of office ended. She continued selflessly working for the betterment of the lives of our countrymen," she said.

Kris said it is now up to her and eldest brother, Sen. Noynoy, to complete their parents’ unfinished task because they are both public figures.

"Noy, ikaw at ako ang nasa posisyon para ipagpatuloy ang lahat ng kanilang nasimulan," Kris said. "During our last conversation with Mom (I promised) that whatever support you needed, I will be there for you."

Fr. Catalino Arevalo, S.J., Mrs. Aquino’s spiritual adviser, said the former president had the purest of hearts but had no desire for power.

Balanga (Bataan) Bishop Socrates Villegas led the nation in expressing thanks to Aquino for all the sacrifices she made both as a public servant and a private person.

In his Final Commendation Message, Villegas said Mrs. Aquino should stop worrying about those she left behind.

"Tita Cory, I know you can hear me. You have to go now. God has called you back home. We who are still here on earth are not ready to say goodbye. We will never meet a woman as great as you for a very long time. We will miss you. We accept it: You are not ours. You are God’s. It is the truth but it hurts us deeply," Villegas said.  

"Tita Cory, thank you for being our light during the darkest hours. Thank you for being our strength when we are afraid. You gallantly showed us that to be a Filipino is a great blessing from God. Thank you for showing us our greatness," he also said.

Arevalo, in his homily, said "Cory Magic" captured the Filipinos in 1983 when her husband, former senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, was assassinated, and in 1986 when she ran against strongman Ferdinand Marcos.

Arevalo had been asked by Mrs. Aquino as she awaited death to deliver the homily for her funeral.

He said Mrs. Aquino was the one true queen in the hearts of Filipinos.

"Perhaps, she was the only true queen our people have ever had and she was queen because we knew she truly held our hearts and the gentleness and the greatness of our own," he said.

He said the "Cory Magic" worked through the years "because of her selflessness and how she loved the country above all else, even above the family."

It was also because of her "faith and dedication to the Lord" and for her "courage for her abiding loyalty to the country that never wavered and never broken."

Kris, the youngest of the siblings, said it is the family that should thank Filipinos who stood by them.

"You have given our family honor beyond anything we could ever have hoped to receive... that no matter how great the sacrifices of my parents, I can honestly say to all of you that for my family, the Filipinos are worth it," Kris said.

Addressing her father, Kris said: "Dad, it is now your turn to take care of Mom. We are sad because we have lost her… but we are glad that she will finally be with dad. Dad, you are mom’s one and only true love."

Some of Kris’ colleagues from the entertainment industry were also present in the mass, including Lea Salonga who sang "Bayan Ko," one of the key protest songs during the "people power" revolt in 1986; Zsa Zsa Padilla, who sang "Hindi Kita Malilimutan," and the APO Hiking Society which actively figured in the 1986 Edsa 1 revolution.

Others who rendered songs during the mass were Martin Nievera, Richard Gomez, Lucy Torres, Piolo Pascual, Ogie Alcasid and Regine Velasquez.

After the mass which lasted two hours, Mrs. Aquino’s coffin was brought out of the cathedral, attended by full police honors.

It was loaded on the flatbed truck that carried it Monday to the cathedral from De La Salle Greenhills where the first two days of the wake were held. The truck was adorned with white and yellow flowers prepared as early as Tuesday midnight.