Part l.

The Authors
Short biography
Corazon Cojuangco was born into a wealthy, politically prominent family based in Tarlac
province, north of Manila. She graduated from Mount St. Vincent College in New York City in
1954 but abandoned further studies in 1955 to marry Benigno Simeon Aquino, Jr., who was
then a promising young politician. Corazon remained in the background during her husband’s
subsequent career, rearing their five children at home. Her husband, who had become a
prominent opposition politician, was jailed by Marcos for eight years (1972–80), and Corazon
accompanied him into exile in the United States in 1980. Benigno was assassinated upon his
return to the Philippines in August 1983. This event galvanized opposition to the Marcos
government.

Teodoro "Teddy Boy" Lopez Locsin Jr. GOLH (born November 15, 1948) is a Filipino politician,
diplomat, lawyer, and former journalist who is currently serving as the Philippine Ambassador to
the United Kingdom since August 30, 2022.He previously served as the Secretary of Foreign
Affairs under the Duterte administration from 2018 to 2022. He was a member of the House of
Representatives from 2001 to 2010, representing the 1st district of Makati and later served as
the Philippine ambassador to the United Nations from 2017 to 2018. He was the host of the
editorial segment titled "Teditorial" for ANC's nightly newscast The World Tonight.

Academic Career

Corazon “Cory” Aquino went from a shy law school student, to the first female president of the
Philippines. Supported by the People Power Revolution, Aquino successfully ran a peaceful
movement that eventually led her to become TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year in 1986. The
only other woman that received that honor at the time was Queen Elizabeth II in 1952.

Corazon Aquino was born on January 25, 1933 in Paniqui, Tarlac in the Philippines. Her birth
name was Maria Corazon Sumulong Conjuangco. Her parents owned a sugar plantation and
were one of the richest families in the area. The sixth out of eight children, Aquino focused on
her studies and her Catholic beliefs. Her parents sent her to private school in the Philippines
before she went to high school in the United States. She went to Ravenhill Academy in
Philadelphia, and then attended the Notre Dame Convent School in New York. When she
graduated in 1949, she began her undergraduate education at the College of Mount St. Vincent
in New York City. In addition to speaking English, Tagalog, and Kapampangan, Aquino majored
in French. She returned to the Philippines to attend law school at Far Eastern University. While
in school, she met fellow student Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr. and the couple got married. Soon
after, Corazon left law school to raise their family.
Aquino spent her elementary school days at St. Scholastica's College in Manila, where she
graduated at the top of her class as valedictorian. She transferred to Assumption Convent to
pursue high school studies. After her family moved to the United States, she attended the
Assumption-run Ravenhill Academy in Philadelphia. She then transferred to Notre Dame
Convent School in New York City, where she graduated from in 1949. During her high school
years in the United States, Aquino volunteered for the campaign of U.S. Republican presidential
candidate Thomas Dewey against Democratic incumbent U.S. President Harry S.
Truman during the 1948 United States presidential election.[8] After graduating from high
school, she pursued her college education at the College of Mount Saint Vincent in New York,
graduating in 1953 with a major in French and minor in mathematics.

After graduating from college, she returned to the Philippines and studied law at Far Eastern
University in 1953.[9] While attending, she met Benigno "Ninoy" S. Aquino Jr., who was the son
of the late Speaker Benigno S. Aquino Sr. and a grandson of General Servillano Aquino. She
discontinued her law education and married Benigno in Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Pasay on
October 11, 1954.[10] The couple raised five children: Maria Elena ("Ballsy"; born 1955), Aurora
Corazon ("Pinky"; born 1957), Benigno Simeon III ("Noynoy"; 1960–2021), Victoria Elisa ("Viel";
born 1961) and Kristina Bernadette ("Kris"; born 1971).

Locsin was born in Manila on November 15, 1948. His father was the prominent newspaperman
and publisher Teodoro Locsin Sr. from the Negrense branch of the Locsin family of Molo,
Iloilo.He studied at the Ateneo de Manila University and received a bachelor's degree in law and
jurisprudence. He also earned a Master of Laws degree from Harvard University.

Published works of Teodoro Locsin

He is the author of a novel about Rizal, The Heroic Confession; a book of essays by him and his
son Teodoro Jr. called Some Free Press Pieces; a collection of poems, Fragments and Ruins;
and a collection of short stories, Trial and Error, which awaits publication.

Part ll. Background of the assigned material

On September 18, 1986, almost seven months after she became the eleventh President of the
Philippine Republic, Maria Corazon “Cory” Cojuango Aquino delivered a speech before the joint
session of the United States Congress in Washington DC.
Cory was the widow of the late Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr., the youngest Governor to be
elected in the Philippines and the youngest member of the Philippine Senate during that time.
With his death brought by his opposition to the political views of then-dictator President
Ferdinand E. Marcos, Cory continued his legacy and campaigned against the violence
experienced by the Filipinos and their homelessness in their own country.
Encouraged by the revolution to run as President to challenge Marcos and keep on advocating
the beliefs and principles his husband had started, Cory became the first Filipina to be sworn in
the highest position of the Philippine government.
In her speech before the US Congress, Cory shared her experiences and sorrow for losing a
loving husband and a good father to her family. She provided a brief narration of how Marcos
suspended the Philippine Constitution and shut down the Congress, which eventually led to
Ninoy’s exile and death, highlighting the cruelty he experienced at the hands of the military and
the dictator.
From this, she detailed how the task to free the Filipinos and fight for democracy fell into her
shoulders. She mentioned how she personally experienced the corruption of the Commission on
Elections and praised the unity and courage of the people in times of oppression.
As the new President of the country, she went over some of her plans to restore the government
first by reinstituting and amending the Philippine Constitution, as well as to start reintegration
programs for the healing of the different localities in the country.
She also acknowledged the 26 billion-dollar debt acquired by the Marcos regime, managed to
create negotiations to be able to gradually pay for it on behalf of the previous administration,
and lodged an appeal from the foreigners for further assistance.
As her speech neared its end, she recognized and thanked the efforts of the American people to
help achieve the democracy the Filipino people have fought for. Completed with the assistance
of Teodoro Lopez Locsin, Jr., Cory Aquino’s speech serves as a primary account of the Martial
Law era in the Philippines.
In this historical disquisition, Cory spoke for all those who were victimized by the Marcos
dictatorship, recounting how the death of her husband sparked the first People Power
Revolution with Filipinos crying out for democracy and freedom from tyrants of the country.
The text reflects the social and political situation of the Philippines during that time and accounts
for the first peaceful revolution in national history. It carries the grief of the people, which waged
the war against the evils of oppression as the Filipino people rally for the cause of freedom.
Such anguish turned into power which led to the nation’s greatest victory, the abolishment of a
dictatorial government, giving way to true liberty, the upliftment of human rights, and the
protection of the welfare of the Filipinos. Cory became a symbol of democracy which
empowered a politically disenfranchised people.
I find it extremely exciting the fact that democracy and freedom mattered to the Filipinos more
than their socioeconomic situation. The people had strong values and beliefs that they would
not let oppressors abuse their rights and privileges as citizens of the country.
The power of a peaceful protest is also rewarding and motivating, which inspires me to take
good care of and give importance to the democracy I am enjoying right now.

Part III. The Content of the Materials

Keypoints focused in the materials

On August 13, 1983, Aquino began a meandering, week-long flight that took him

from Boston to Los Angeles and through Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

Because Marcos had cut off diplomatic relations with Taiwan, the government

there was under no obligation to cooperate with his regime's goal of keeping

Aquino away from Manila. As China Airlines Flight 811 descended into Manila

International Airport on August 21, 1983, Aquino warned the foreign journalists
traveling with him to have their cameras ready. "In a matter of three or four

minutes it could all be over," he noted with chilling prescience.

CONTRIBUTIONS AND RELEVANCE:

The speech of the former President Corazon Aquino gives us the insights on how

Filipinos struggled to attain freedom and between the insisted resistance from the past

have inspired Filipino revolutionaries in our current era. It also gives clarification

about what really happened during the time of Ninoy Aquino.

The document describe the struggles faced by the Aquinos to help the Philippines

achieve freedom. The document also mentioned about the debt incurred by the former

government before Cory Aquino. This speech also shows how the dictatorship

transforms into democratic government. From its president down to its laws, order,

and rules. The document also mentioned the killing of Ninoy Aquino and the terror

from torture and conviction during the Martial

IV. Learning Experience

If there is one lesson we can learn from Cory Aquino, it is that this country needs to be united
once more.
The “one-ness” of the Filipino people is something that has eluded us for decades now. These
days, everyone seems to be taking different and, in most cases, divergent paths. No wonder we
can’t arrive at a single end goal — that’s because we have no common end goal to talk about.