Enrile paid tribute to Cory Aquino when she died in 2009, letter shows

Former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile spoke well of former President Corazon “Cory” Aquino when she died in August 2009, Cory’s son former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III said on Tuesday.

Noynoy made the statement a few days after Enrile criticized Cory's style of governance in videos of an interview with Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos that were posted on Facebook and Youtube last week and over the weekend.

Enrile claimed Cory did not know anything about governance and that he only defected from the administration of the former dictator Ferdinand Marcos because a military junta is out to kill him.

“Ganda ng pagkakagawa, ang ganda ng mga sentimiyento, one paged letter, single spread in 2009, ‘di ko na maalala exact date,” Noynoy said.

“Nagulat ako sa pagkasulat, nagpaliwanag siya na ‘di siya makakadalaw sa burol dahil baka makasakit siya ng damdamin ng ibang tao,” he added.

Noynoy last week said Enrile could claim that his mother did not have the competence to govern the country because Enrile, as Marcos’s Justice Secretary and Defense Minister, was part of the alleged misrule under the Martial Law administration.

More than 70,000 people were arrested, 34,000 tortured and 3,000 killed.

During a press conference with fellow defector and then General Fidel Ramos on February 22. 1986, Enrile said that he could no longer serve Marcos because the strongman no longer had the mandate of the people.

“The mandate of the people does not belong to the present [Marcos] regime. And I know for a fact that there had been anomalies committed during the [1986 snap] elections [between Marcos and opposition candidate Corazon Aquino],” Enrile said then.

“I searched my conscience, and I felt I could not serve a government that is not expressive of sovereign will,” he added.

Enrile, now 94, is still facing a P172 million plunder charge in connection with the P10 billion pork barrel scam.

Plunder charges against him were filed during the Noynoy Aquino administration.

Enrile is out on bail due to humanitarian considerations. —NB, GMA News