PRESIDENT CORAZON AQUINO’S SPEECH

BEFORE THE U.S. CONGRESS, SEPTEMBER 18,1986.

President Corazon Aquino is the widow of Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. who became the 11 th
President of the Philippines, 2nd and last president of 4th Republic and the 1st President of 5th
Republic, therefore the first female president of the Philippines. Through the People Power
Revolution, together with defections from the soldiers of the Philippines and support from the
Philippine Christian church her inauguration to the presidency was secured on 25th of February
1986 and widely recognized as the “Mother of Asian Democracy”. Wherein during her term, she
gave a speech during the Joint Session of the U.S. Congress on September 18, 1986. Her speech
is crucial in the Philippine history, particularly diplomatic and political history because it
probably established the EDSA government’s legitimacy on the global stage.
In her speech, President Corazon Aquino frequently referred to her husband Ninoy Aquino, who
was chosen by the Filipino people to serve as the anti-Marcos poster boy. In the first portion of
her speech, she acknowledged the speaker, Senator Thurmond, and the respected congressman.
When she left the country to attend her husband's funeral three years before to taking office, she
again conveyed her sorrow. She claimed to have returned as the leader of the liberated people.
She went into detail about her husband's issues, how their family was affected, and how it
affected the nation. She talked about the first time she lost her spouse, 14 years prior, when
Marcos implemented martial law, suspending the constitution and shutting down the Congress,
as well as how Marcos arrested Benigno and hundreds of others who stood out for democracy.
She also mentioned how difficult it was for her and her kids to lose the foundation. of their
home, her husband, and the father of her children. Contrarily, the passing of Ninoy Aquino
showed the Philippines' rebirth and the strength and faith of its people. She cited Archibald
MacLeish, who said, who stated, "Democracy must be defended by arms when it is attacked by
arms, and by truth when it is attacked by lies." She then went on to speak about how he failed to
say how it shall be won. "Still, we fought for honor, and, if only for honor, we shall pay." She
made it clear that the conflict they started was not in vain or pointless. That the Filipinos, fought
the administration valiantly.
Furthermore, she mentioned in her address what happened during the presidential elections in
1986, how Filipinos joined together to defeat the Marcos administration,which had oppressed
them for more than a decade, and how it was a proclamation that the country and its people had
finally earned freedom."The task had fallen on my shoulders to continue offering the democratic
alternative to our people."She accepted the responsibility of looking after and fighting for the
country's freedom. However,even after defeating Marcos' dictatorship, the Philippines were still
dealing with the consequences of his rule. This included a total foreign debt of $26 billion and a
communist insurgency that rose from 500 armed guerillas to 16,000 under Marcos' presidency.
The country was only beginning its long journey to recovery. As a result,by explaining the status
of the country to the congress,she also made a call for support or financial assistance in restoring
full constitutional government and reviving the country's economy.

Sources:
Escobar, M. (2018, January 25).
:Revisit Cory Aquino's Historic 1986 Speech Before the U.S. Congress (esquiremag.ph)
Yadis, MJ. (2022).
:Corazon Aquino's Speech Before The U.S. Congress | PDF | Corazon Aquino | Government
(scribd.com)