PNoy, sisters hold Mass in Cory’s honor

President Benigno Aquino III and his sisters held Mass on Friday at the Manila Memorial Park to commemorate the fifth death anniversary of their mother, the late President Corazon Aquino.

 

The Aquino siblings, who were dressed in their signature yellow color, gathered before noon in front of their mother's tomb, which was also decorated with yellow flowers.

 

In a statement, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda urged Filipinos to emulate the late President's virtues to build a "stronger democracy."

 

"Let us remember the virtues for which she is best known and which have endeared her to the public—the courage with which she adopted the fight for democracy; the humility which she maintained throughout her presidency; and the compassion with which she considered the needs of all Filipinos," Lacierda said.

 

In 1986, Corazon was catapulted to the presidency by the People Power Revolution, which toppled the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos.

 

The bloodless revolt happened three years after her husband, Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., was assassinated.

 

Corazon, the Philippines' first female president, died in 2009 after being diagnosed with colon cancer.

 

The outpouring of grief following his mother's death propelled Noynoy, then a senator, to victory during the 2010 presidential polls.

 

During his fifth State of the Nation Address last Monday, President Aquino turned emotional while recalling the memory of his parents. — Andreo Calonzo/RSJ, GMA News