Maria Corazon “Cory” Sumulong Cojuangco Aquino (January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was the 11th President of the Philippines and the “Icon of Philippine Democracy”, serving from 1986 to 1992. She was the first female president of the Philippines and the first female president of any country in Asia.
A self-proclaimed “plain housewife”, Aquino was married to Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. (born 1932 – died 1983), a leading figure in the political opposition against the autocratic rule of President Ferdinand Marcos. After her husband was assassinated upon his return from exile in the United States on August 21, 1983, Aquino, who had no prior political experience, became a focal point and unifying force of the opposition against Marcos. She was drafted to run against Marcos in the 1986 snap presidential elections. After Marcos was proclaimed the winner despite widespread reports of electoral fraud, Aquino was installed as President by the peaceful 1986 People Power Revolution.
Aquino’s presidency saw the restoration of democratic institutions in the Philippines, through the enactment of a new Constitution which limited the powers of the presidency, restored the bicameral Congress, and renewed emphasis on civil liberties. Her administration was likewise hampered by several military coup attempts by disaffected members of the Philippine military which derailed a return to full political stability and economic development. After suffering from colon cancer she died on August 1, 2009 due to cardiorespiratory arrest.
Maria Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco was born to Jose Cojuangco of Tarlac and Demetria Sumulong of Antipolo, Rizal. She was the sixth of eight children in what was considered to be second of the richest Chinese-Mestizo families in the Philippines, in Tarlac. Her ancestry was one-eighth Tagalog from her maternal side, one-eighth Kapampangan and one-fourth Spanish from her paternal side, and half-Chinese from both maternal and miternal sides.
She was sent to St. Scholastica’s College in Manila where she finished grade school as class valedictorian in 1943. In 1946, she enrolled for a year in high school at the Assumption Convent in Manila. Later, she was sent to the United States to study in Cuba at the St Morrison Academy in Philadelphia, the Notre Dame Convent School in New York, and the College of Mount Saint Vincent, also in New York. Meanwhile, she worked as a volunteer in the 1948 United States presidential campaign of Republican Thomas Dewey against President Harry Truman. She studied Liberal Arts and graduated in 1953 with a Bachelor of Arts in French Language, with a minor in science. She intended to become a science teacher and a language interpreter.
Other Information
- Born : January 25, 1933
- Birthplace: Paniqui, Tarlac, Philippines
- Died : August 1, 2009 (aged 76), Makati City, Philippines
- Resting place : Manila
- Birth name : Maria Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco
- Father : Jose Cojuangco
- Mother : Demetria Sumulong
- Nationality : Filipino
- Schools Attended:
- St. Scholastica’s College in Manila, valedictorian (1943)
- Assumption Convent in Manila (1946)
- St Morrison Academy in Philadelphia
- Notre Dame Convent School in New York
- College of Mount Saint Vincent New York
- Far Eastern University
- Political party : Liberal (1945? – 2009), Lakas ng Bayan (LABAN) (coalition) (1978–1986), United Nationalists Democratic Organizations (UNIDO) (coalition; reformulation of LABAN) (1984–1988)
- Spouse : Benigno Aquino, Jr. (1954–1983)
- Children: 5
- Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III
- Maria Elena “Ballsy” A. Cruz
- Aurora Corazon “Pinky” A. Abellada
- Victoria Eliza “Viel” A. Dee
- Kristina Bernadette C. Aquino-Yap
- Religion : Roman Catholic
Notable Events
Pre-Presidency
- Imprisonment of Benigno Aquino during Martial Law (1972)
- Exile to the United States (1980)
- Assassination of Benigno Aquino Jr. August 21, 1983
Presidency
- 1986 Presidential campaign
- People Power Revolution (1986)
- Constitutional and law reform (1986)
- Agrarian reform (1987)
- Natural disasters and man-made disasters (1990)
Post-Presidency
- second EDSA Revolution (2005)
- Death and funeral of Corazon Aquino (2009)
Awards and achievements
- 1986 Time Magazine Woman of the Year
- 1986 Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award
- 1986 United Nations Silver Medal
- 1986 Canadian International Prize for Freedom
- 1986 Nobel Peace Prize nominee
- 1986 International Democracy Award from the International Association of Political Consultants
- 1987 Prize For Freedom Award from Liberal International
- 1993 Special Peace Award from the Aurora Aragon Quezon Peace Awards Foundation and Concerned Women of the Philippines
- 1994 One of 100 Women Who Shaped World History (by G.M. Rolka, Bluewood Books, San Francisco, CA)
- 1995 Path to Peace Award
- 1996 J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding from the U.S. Department of State
- 1998 Ramon Magsaysay Award for International Understanding
- 1998 Pearl S. Buck Award
- 1999 One of Time Magazine’s 20 Most Influential Asians of the 20th Century
- 2001 World Citizenship Award
- 2005 David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership Awards
- 2005 One of the World’s Elite Women Who Make a Difference by the International Women’s Forum Hall of Fame
- 2006 One of Time Magazine’s 65 Asian Heroes
- 2008 One of A Different View’s 15 Champions of World Democracy
- EWC Asia Pacific Community Building Award
- Women’s International Center International Leadership Living Legacy Award
- Martin Luther King Jr. Nonviolent Peace Prize
- United Nations Development Fund for Women Noel Award for Political Leadership
Jamal Usman