Republic of the Philippines

TARLAC AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY

Camiling, Tarlac

READINGS IN THE PHILIPPINE

HISTORY
NAME Rence Xavier P. Lorenzo SCORE
BSE-MATH 1 November 15, 2021
YEAR & DATE
SECTION

ACTIVITY NO. 4
Biography of Corazon Aquino, her Accomplishments, Achievements, and Projects.

“Corazon “Cory” Aquino, the Mother of Asian Democracy”

Biography of Corazon Aquino

Maria Corazon “Cory” Sumulong Cojuanco Aquino was the 11th president and also
known as the first female president of the Philippines and the pioneer of the EDSA People
Power Revolution on February 22-25, 1986 who also restored democracy after the long term of
Marcos Administration. Cory Aquino was born on January 25, 1993 in Paniqui, Tarlac and
died at the Makati Medical Center on the 1st day of August because of Colorectal Cancer, a
cancer that occurs in the colon or rectum. She graduated from the college of Mount St. Vincent
in New York with a bachelor’s degree in both French and Mathematics in which she abandoned
her other studies to marry Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., a prominent opposition
politician, who was jailed by Marcos for eight years (1972–80), after signing the Proclamation
Number 1081 declaring the entire Philippines under Martial Law.
Cory Aquino is also the successor of her husband after Ninoy Aquino Jr. was
assassinated at the Tarmac of the Manila International Airport or known as the NAIA or Ninoy
Aquino International Airport on August 21, 1983, three years before the People Power
Revolution. And despite the fact that she has lack of political experience and came from
haciendero family from Tarlac and owned vast estates of sugar with politician relatives of both
local and national government, People Power Revolution of 1986 was wildly recognized around
the world for its peaceful character which ended the 21 year rule of President Ferdinand
Marcos. And because of the People Power that we celebrate every 25th day of February made
her recognized as the Mother of Asian Democracy.
In addition, Cory was able to capture the imagination of the people whose rights and
freedom had long been compromised throughout the Marcos regime, which also made her as
the running president of the oppositions since the election are said to be fraudulent, but Marcos
had to be something to prove to his ally in the United States that he remained to be democratic
leader of the country, he called for a Snap election in February 1986 where Cory Aquino was
also considered by the opposition for running against Marcos in the Presidency after collecting
more than a million of signatures that symbolizes their urge to enter Cory Aquino in the
Presidential race.
The government announced Ferdinand Marcos as the President, but according to Cory
Aquino the people turned out in the streets and proclaimed her as the President. And that
ignites the people to join the People Power Revolution that was started in front of the Camp
Crame wherein on the first day of rally February 22, 1986 Juan Ponce Enrile (Former Defense
Minister) and Fidel Ramos (Former Vice Chief of Staff, AFP) resigned in the Marcos
Administration. On the 2nd day February 23, 1986 Jaime Cardinal Sin, the 30th Roman
Catholic Archbishop of Manila and the third Cardinal of the Philippines uses his influence to
urge some Filipino people to join the rally which increases the number of people against
Marcos in the EDSA including the military waving white flags that symbolizes their oneness in
the rally. February 24, 1986 the third day of the EDSA People Power, President Marcos
announces to attack but the number of revolutionaries was constantly increasing according to
Jose Custodio, a historian and defense analyst. And on the last day of People Power, the attack
was being cancelled, Marcos announces that he will not get off his Presidency, while Cory
Aquino do her inauguration on the Club Filipino in San Juan with her Vice-President Salvador
Laurel. Wherein on the same day Marcos also did an inauguration but the live coverage was
being cut because the transmitters of the government was being shot that’s why they used
Movie Cameras to document his inauguration but because of the increasing number of the
revolutionaries, Brig. General Ted Allan encourages the Marcos to use the American
Helicopter to leave Malacañang, at first Marcos declined because according to him he would
choose to die on the palace but according to the historian they left the Malacañang at 9:05 PM
wherein Radio DZRH announces that the Marcos have fled the country and they confirmed the
winning of the democracy.
And because of those scenario, specifically the EDSA people power installed Cory
Aquino as the 11th president of the republic on the February 25, 1986 to June 30, 1992. And
after seven months, she fled to America to deliver her speech that unfolds her insights on how
Filipino struggled to attain freedom, the struggles faced by her husband Ninoy Aquino, the
transformation of the dictatorship into a democratic government, the problems she faced as the
new president, the Philippine elections and her declaration of democracy in the country that
symbolizes her biggest achievements.

Cory Aquino Accomplishment

 Philippine Restoration of Democracy

 First Female President
 Delivered a finest speech on the US Congress.
 1987 Constitution, which limited the powers of the Presidency and re-established the
bicameral Congress, successfully removing the previous dictatorial government structure.
 On August 8, 1988, Corazon Aquino created the Presidential Task Force for Science and
Technology which came up with the first Science and Technology Master Plan or STMP.
The goal of STMP was for the Philippines to achieve newly industrialized country status
by the year 2000.
 One of Aquino's first and boldest moves was the creation of the Presidential Commission
on Good Government (PCGG), which was tasked to go after the Marcos ill-gotten
 wealth.
 Approved by the 1986 Constitutional Commission on October 12, 1986, the 1987
Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines was presented to President Corazon C.
Aquino on October 15, 1986. It was ratified on February 2, 1987 by a plebiscite. It was
proclaimed in force on February 11, 1987.
 President Corazon C. Aquino, government divested itself from non-essential business-
related assets acquired during the Marcos era. It also enacted Presidential Proclamation
No. 50 in December 1986, which created the Asset Privatization Trust (APT) and the
Committee on Privatization (COP) to handle this move.

 The following year, Congress passed the 1987 Philippine Constitution. It defined the role
of the private sector as a valuable partner in achieving the development goals of the
country. Section 20, Article II specifically states that, “the State recognizes the
indispensable role of the private sector as the main engine of national growth.”

 In 1990, the passage of Republic Act 6957 entitled, “An Act Authorizing the Financing,
Construction, Operation and Maintenance of Infrastructure Projects by the Private Sector,
and for other Purposes,” also known as the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Law brought
the participation of the private sector into the frontline of development efforts.

Awards and Achievements of Cory Aquino

 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
 Honorary doctorates

Projects of Cory Aquino

 The Community Employment and Development Program (CEDP), launched in August

1986, is designed to generate jobs through numerous small-scale and labor-intensive
projects in the countryside. President Aquino reports on the progress of the CEDP
implementation. In 1986 and 1987, the P8.7 billion appropriation for 53,842 projects
generated more than one million new jobs. She stressed the need for the participation of
the community and nongovernment organizations in the implementation of CEDP. Their
participation will contribute towards achieving self-reliance and evolving a government
that is truly sensitive and responsive to the people.
 Intergration of gender equality on 1987 Philippine Constitution
 The NCRFW held various consulation-workshops among different women’s groups that
resulted in crafting of the Philippine Development Plan for Women (PDPW) 1989-1992,
which became a companion volume to the Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan
(MTPDP) 1987-1992. The PDPW served as government’s blueprint for integrating
women in the development processes.
 President Aquino issued Executive Order 227 or The New Family Code of the
Philippines, which eliminated many of the discriminatory provisions in the Civil Code of
the Philippines that had been based on Spanish colonial law.
 Proclamation No. 224: Declaring the 1st week of March as Women’s Week, with March
8 as Women’s Rights and International Peace Day
 Proclamation 227: Observance on the month of March as “Women’s Role in History
Month.”
 RA 6725: An Act Strengthening the Prohibition on Discrimination Against Women with
Respect to Terms and Conditions of Employment
 Executive Order 348: Approval and Adoption of Philippine Development Plan for
Women
 RA 6949: An Act to Declare March Eight of Every Year as A Working Special Holiday
to Be Known as National Women’s Day

 RA 6955: Anti-Mail Order Bride Law that outlaws the practice of matching Filipino
women for marriage to foreign nationals on a mail-order basis
 RA 6972: Barangay-Level Total Development and Protection of Children Act that
mandates the establishment of day care centers in every barangay

 RA 7160: Local Government Code of 1991 which introduced a mechanism for women’s
participation at the local government level

 Established Focal Points for Women, promoted data disaggregation by sex, built trainer’s
pool, and developed a critical mass of gender advocates within the bureaucracy.
 The Aquino administration opened the Philippine Military Academy to women. Female
cadets showed commendable performance, with one of them topping the graduating class
in 1999.
 Introduced gender-responsive measures in government such as flexi-time, daycare, career
advancement for women in government, equality advocates