Maria Isabel T.

Gako BSA I

Critical Essay on Cory Aquino’s Speech during the Joint Session of the United States

(1986)

One of the very few individuals who managed to reshape the direction of history was

Corazon 'Cory' Cojuangco Aquino. She managed to unify the opposition against the tyranny of

Marcos. She cast the contest in such clear terms of good vs. evil through her simplicity and

honesty that people agreed to her not as a politician but as a collective force. Filipinos gathered

behind the widow Corazon Aquino, who symbolized all those oppressed by the Marcos

dictatorship, when opposition Senator Benigno 'Ninoy' Aquino was murdered in August 1983.

After the ousting of the oppressive rule of Ferdinand Marcos, the housewife with no experience

in politics found herself elected President of the Philippines.

Maria Corazon 'Cory' Cojuangco Aquino was born on January 25, 1933, in Tarlac,

Philippines. She was the former 11th President and the first female president of the Philippines.

As the first female president of the Philippines, she led the country over the transition to

democracy in the face of no fewer than seven military coups seeking to overthrow her

government.

On September 18, 1986, with courage and determination, she delivered a heartful speech

during the Joint Session of the United States. It was her first visit to America since the deposition

of dictator Ferdinand Marcos in February of the same year. The Philippines had been reckoning

with everything that had been achieved by his government. That included $26 billion in total

foreign debt and a communist uprising that grew from 500 armed guerrillas to 16,000 during the

Marcos period. We were only at the beginning of the long path towards recovery.
 The speech was passionate, profoundly personal, and convenient. Her speech was filled

with numerous references to her husband, former Senator Ninoy Aquino, who was identified by

the Filipino nation as the Anti-Marcos movement poster boy. It also went as far as to equate the

situation of Ninoy with that of the nation as a whole. It honored her husband, Ninoy Aquino's

key role for the said freedom. She further narrated how his husband died and how this led to the

democracy we have today. Her speech also gave an opportunity to the economy of the

Philippines by attracting business investors that could possibly help the staggering state. Aquino

made an appeal for assistance. She presented a remarkable speech addressing the House that

helped influence the election for an emergency $200-million aid allocation in our pursuit

(Escobar, 2018). Lastly, she extended America's position in the global as the advocate of a just

form of governance and further enhanced the country's image as a standard of excellence.

The legacy of Cory Aquino was also a symbol of a fresh beginning. In general, she

supported the Filipinos and helped inspire women to take action on important issues. She has had

an immense effect on millions of people's rights and welfare.

Sources:

Escobar, M. (1970, January 01). Revisit Cory Aquino's Historic 1986 Speech Before The US

Congress. Retrieved September 30, 2020, from

https://www.esquiremag.ph/politics/news/revisit-cory-aquino-s-historic-1986-speech-

before-the-us-congress-a00207-20180125

Speech of President Corazon Aquino during the Joint Session of the U.S. Congress, September

18, 1986: GOVPH. (1986, September 18). Retrieved September 27, 2020, from
https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1986/09/18/speech-of-president-corazon-aquino-

during-the-joint-session-of-the-u-s-congress-september-18-1986/