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Stargazers and the eternal Ninoy-Cory love story


Editor's Note: Former senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. was assassinated at the Manila International Airport on August 21, 1983 before he could deliver this statement. GMA News Online published this on August 21, 2009. We are reposting it today, Ninoy Aquino Day.

The stargazer is a flower commonly used to decorate caskets, but for TV personality Kris Aquino, it was a special sign used by her late father to assure the family that he was finally reunited with her mother in the afterlife.

A week before former President Corazon Aquino died last August 1, Kris said she had been informed that her aunt Tessie Aquino-Oreta had dreamt of her father, the late Sen. Benigno “Ninoy" Aquino, Jr. In the dream, Ninoy had asked Oreta to visit his cancer-stricken wife, who was then confined at the Makati Medical Center, and bring her stargazers.

Kris made the revelation in a recent interview on her television program The Buzz. She noted that her aunt and her mother were on opposite sides in 2001 when Mrs. Aquino backed the ouster of former president Joseph Estrada, whom then senator Oreta had supported. All of them have since reconciled.

In an interview with GMA News Online, Oreta confirmed the dream but made light of it. She said she visited Mrs. Aquino “(but) I did not (bring her flowers). Cory was asthmatic."

To Kris’ surprise, the staff of Heritage Memorial Services placed stargazers on her mother’s coffin in preparation for the wake, prompting her to break down and cry.

“It is dad’s sign that mom is good and they were together. That was the time I cried there. ‘Dun nila pinaramdam na magkasama na sila," she said.

Mrs. Aquino was laid to rest beside her husband, as she had wished, last August 5. As the nation commemorates the 26th anniversary of the assassination of Ninoy Aquino Friday, friends and supporters are expected to bring more flowers to their tombs at the Manila Memorial Park.

Kris, who had personally attended to the preparations for Mrs. Aquino’s wake, said the family did not order flowers because they knew the casket would be draped with the Philippine flag. Mrs. Aquino served as the country’s first woman president from 1986 to 1992.

But when the coffin was brought to the viewing room, a staff of the Heritage told them that they would temporarily put flowers on Mrs. Aquino's coffin.

"Yung flowers na pinagawa ng Heritage na I knew nothing of, nung pinatong ... they were stargazers," she said.

 

STARGAZERS, which signify purity of heart, became the symbol that Ninoy and Cory are finally reunited in heaven
STARGAZERS, which signify purity of heart, became the symbol that Ninoy and Cory are finally reunited in heaven

Pure of heart

Stargazers are lilies that are usually associated with meanings such as “pure of heart" and “heaven in your eyes." Along with its sister – the white Casablanca lily – stargazers are often offered to convey sympathy to the recipient.

After she told her niece about the dream, Oreta asked Kris if Cory likes stargazers. Kris recalled saying, "hindi masyado. She likes looking at flowers but because of her asthma, nahihirapan matagal."

After she retired from public service in 1992, Mrs. Aquino took to painting and gave away many of her works to friends. Although she liked to paint flowers, it is not known if stargazers were one of her subjects.

Moments before Cory passed away, Kris said her mother told her she could already see Ninoy fetching her.

Eternal love story

The Ninoy and Cory love story is one of the most celebrated love stories in the country. Some online users even described it as “eternal."

In his last letter to Cory, Ninoy assured her that his love “will never be equaled." He also thanked her for supporting him during the trying times when he was incarcerated under the Marcos regime.

“All the things I want to tell you may be capsulized in one line - - I love you! ... I realize I’ve been very stingy with praise and appreciation for all your efforts — but though unsaid — you know that as far I’m concerned, you are the best. That’s why we’ve lasted this long. There will only be one thing in the world I will never accept — that you love me more than I love you — because my love for you though unarticulated will never be equaled," a portion of the letter read.

Aside from the letter, Ninoy also expressed his love for Cory through a poem entitled “I fell in love with the same woman thrice." The poem was written at Fort Bonifacio in 1973 as his gift to Cory for their 19th wedding anniversary.

“Looming from the battle/ her courage will never fade. Amidst the hardships she has remained/ undaunted and unafraid. She is calm and composed / she is God’s lovely maid," the poem read.

It was set to music by popular musician Jose Marie Chan in 1987. — GMA News 

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