Revisiting Corazon
Aquino’s Speech before
the US Congress
Presented by:
Harry Carino
Kylah Joy Bautista
Mark Angelo Gamueda
Hazel Marzan
Kenji Rapadas
Who is Corazon Aquino?
 Born as Maria Corazon Sumulong Conjuanco on
January 25, 1933 in Tarlac, Phillipines
 Graduated from college of Mount St. Vincent in
New York in 1954 with Bachelor’s Degree in both
French and Mathematics
 Widow of Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, the
oppositionist of former President Ferdinand
Marcos.
 A loving mother to her children
Who is Corazon Aquino?
 The 11th president and the first female President
of the Republic of the Philippines
 “Mother of Asian Democracy”
 Named as the Time Magazine’s Woman of the
year in 1986
 Presidential term: 6 years (Feb 21, 1986 – June
30, 1992)
 Died on August 1, 2009 at the age of 76
Who is Corazon Aquino?
 Functioned as the symbol of the restoration of
democracy and the overthrow of the Marcos
dictatorship in 1986
 The EDSA people power, which installed Cory
Aquino in the presidency, put the Philippines in
the international spotlight for overthrowing a
dictator through peaceful means.
Historical Background
 September 21, 1972, former President Ferdinand
declare martial law
 In 1980, Ninoy was jailed for 8 years, and
Corazon accompanied him to exile in the United
State
 In February 1986, Corazon Aquino run as the
opposition’s presidential candidate with Salvador
Laurel as her running mate for Vice President
 In February 25, 1986, People Power Revolution
Historical Background
 September 1986, seven months since Cory
became president, she visited the United State
and gave her speech before the joint session of
the US Congress
 In her speech, she called the Americans to help
the Philippines in preserving the freedom and
democracy
 The speech was written by Foreign Affairs
Secretary Teddy “Boy” Locsin Jr.
Content Analysis
Understanding the historical information
 Corazon Aquino expressed her grief when she left America
three years before her presidency to bury her husband,
Benigno Aquino. Ninoy Aquino also elaborated on how painful
it was for her and her children to lose their father. However,
Aquino's death represents the Philippines' resurrection, as
well as the country's struggle for freedom. "We fought for
honor and if only for honor, we will pay," she said. She
emphasized that the fight they started was not in vain and
was not a shambles. She cited Archibald MacLeish, who
stated that "democracy must be defended by arms when
attacked by arms, and by truth when attacked by lies."
Content Analysis
Understanding the historical information
 Furthermore, she accepted responsibility for caring for and
fighting for the freedom of the entire country. However,
despite having defeated Marcos' dictatorship, the Philippines
was still dealing with the consequences of his regime's
actions. This included $26 billion in total foreign debt and a
communist insurgency that grew from 500 armed guerillas to
16,000 during the Marcos era. The country was only
beginning its long road to recovery. As a result, by detailing
the state of the country to Congress, her speech also made
an appeal for assistance or financial assistance in restoring
full constitutional government and reviving the country's
economy.
Contextual Analysis
 In the early portion of Corazon Aquino's speech was filled with
tributes to her husband, and was influenced by the country's
status following the Marcos era. She claimed to have returned
as the President of the Free People's Republic. For more than a
decade, the country has been in a state of oppression. As she
stated, the result were the Filipino people were left with a debt
that Marcos committed during his presidency and from which
they received no benefit, by summarizing the situation of the
country to Congress, she also made a plea for support or
financial assistance in restoring full constitutional governance
and rebuilding the country's economy. Additionally, since the
Filipino people had fought hard against the regime to free the
nation and themselves, Corazon wanted to protect the freedom
that Filipinos had gained.
Relevance of the speech in our country
 The speech of the former President Corazon
Aquino gives us the insights on how Filipinos
struggled to attain freedom and between the
insisted resistance from the past have
inspired Filipino revolutionaries in our
current era. It also gives clarification about
what really happened during the time of
Ninoy Aquino.
Relevance of the speech in our country
 The document describe the struggles faced by the
Aquinos to help the Philippines achieve freedom.
The document also mentioned about the debt
incurred by the former government before Cory
Aquino. This speech also shows how the
dictatorship
transforms
into
democratic
government. From its president down to its laws,
order and rules. The document also mentioned the
killing of Ninoy Aquino and the terror from torture
and conviction during the Martial Law.
Relevance of the speech in our country
 It shows the problem faced by Cory Aquino
as soon as she became the President. For
instance the poverty and unemployment.
The document mentioned two elections
occurred after the death of Ninoy Aquino.
His wife participated during the election and
lose in the first election. During the second
which is snap election, she became the
president and declares democracy in the
country.
Author's main argument
 The author's main arguments focuses on the
country's constitutional and economic recovery
following Marcos' dictatorship. And in order to aid
the country’s recovery, Corazon Aquino desired
financial assistance from the United States.
Corazon's speech also served as an official
declaration and commemoration of the Filipino
people's liberation, as well as an expression of
how Filipino citizens came together to reclaim the
democracy that had been stolen away from them
during the Marcos era.
Overall Observation
 Corazon Aquino's speech was based on her
personal experiences and observations prior to
and following the death of her deceased husband,
Ninoy Aquino. It was also founded on the fact that,
as a Filipino, she was horrified by the country's
plight after more than a decade of social and
political persecution. As she assumed the
presidency, she influenced her country and the
rest of the world to see women as capable of
handling authority and power.
Overall Observation
 Looking at her speech from today's perspective, I
believe that what happened in the past - America's
assistance to the Philippines - was a sort of giveand-take relationship. Cory Aquino seemed to
have the greatest faith in America of all the
countries in the world, which is why she petitioned
the US Congress for assistance in the recovery
and preservation of the ship. As a result, the
Philippines has benefited from democracy. As a
result of America's help, the Philippines felt
obligated to repay the favor.
Overall Observation
 As a result, the US Congress's assistance during
the Philippines' recovery from dictatorship may
appear to be a calculated political move. However,
it goes without saying that Corazon Aquino
continues to be an inspiration to Filipinos as she
led the country toward freedom, and as a result,
she became a crucial player in reclaiming the
country's democracy.
Thank you