Filipino blogs, tweets honor Corazon Aquino (1933-2009)

Filipino bloggers quickly took on the task of honoring former President Corazon Aquino, the country’s first female leader, who died today from cardiorespiratory arrest. She was 76.

Inghinyero.com wrote: “Its a sad morning for the Philippines” soon after the Aquino family announced news of her death.

“She will definitely have a space in our hearts,” he added.

Aquino passed away at 3:18 am today and quickly reactions over at Facebook, Plurk and Twitter. In less than three hours since news broke, “Corazon Aquino” and “Cory Aquino” became trending topics on Twitter.

Babelmachine swiftly reported livestreaming of Aquino videos as the nation mourned and took note of yellow ribbons in avatars of Filipino Twitter users.  Yellow was Aquino’s campaign color in 1986 when she ran against the dictator Marcos.

The blog Vindication of a Fool stated that “in the next few days, we shall be hearing a lot of tributes for the late president. She deserves every bit of them. The nation has lost a moral compass and servant leader.”

Cheftonio said:

It’s not very often that I feel sad for a passing of a public figure. I didn’t feel sad when MJ passed but, with Tita Cory, I am sad and actually shocked about it. Although her vital signs were not as good before this, I had hope that she would recover.

“A lot of public figures have retreated to their final resting place already but none of them had blown such an impact on me than Tita Cory,” according to Bahay ni Badong.

Student leader and blogger Bong Ong blogged that

[Aquino] once have said in an inspiring message, and I quote, “I am burning the candle of my life in the dark, with no one to benefit from the light. The candle slowly melts away. Soon its wick will burn out, and the light is gone. If only someone will gather the melted wax, reshape it, give it a new wick. For another fleeting moment, my candle can once again light the dark, be of service one more time, and then, goodbye.”

Ong added that:

Now that there’s already a lit path because of you, I take the challenge to be the wick of your remolded candle, ignite anew, and share the light to others, who still are in the dark. This is my promise, until another gathers our melted wax, and be its wick for the next generation.

Writing in Filipino, Ang Sa Wari Ko said:

Ina, ito ang siyng naging imahe niya simula noong pinangunahan niya ang laban kontra sa Martial Law ng rehimen ni Ferdinand Marcos, sa pamamagitan ng EDSA Revolution. Sa kanyang tapang at ginawa sa bansa ay hinirang siyang unang babaeng pangulo ng bansa. (A mother, this was her image since she led the fight against the Martial Law regime of Ferdinand Marcos, through the EDSA revolution. For her courage and her contributions to the country, she became the first woman president of the country.)

Mike in Manila, a blog by a journalist, remembered Aquino and said:

Not everyone may have agreed with her point of view on the issues, but no one could question her personal integrity – nor her commitment to democracy. But Citizen Cory as she liked to be called after stepping down from power in what had been the first of three peaceful turnovers of transition in the country.Albeit the 4th turnover and her own rise to power came at the hands of ‘people power’ popular revolts.

Ganns Dean addressed his Aquino tribute to current President Arroyo, who the former twice called on to resign:

You will never be the woman Corazon Aquino was, and I hope her death – with you still out of the country, courting Barack Obama shamelessly – and the nation’s reaction to it will wake you to the realization that all the “accomplishments” in the past nine years you’ve led us, brought out at your penultimate valedictory work of fiction that you call a SONA, will never compare to the shameful legacy of corruption and iron-strong clinging to power that has characterized your tenure as president.

The blogger added that

There are tears in my eyes, but these are not solely for the death of one of the nation’s most beloved leaders. These are tears I weep out of frustration that the current crop of nation’s leaders do not share Cory’s heart and love for us. These are tears of sorrow that it has come to this, that the country’s matriarch is gone, and no one looms bright over the horizon to serve as the country’s guardian angel.

Other bloggers who honored Aquino on their blogs were DeoDuey.com, My Freedom Wall, Paradox of Irony, I’m Walking Alone, Oh-Wheezers, Mark Bravo, GameOPS, Geekothon.com, Lalaine’s World, Barrio Siete, Captain’s Log, silver, The DJ who’s not a DeeJay, Snow World, Deantastic!, The Marocharim Experiment, smoke, Jon Magat, Digiputz.com, Bikoy.net, Pagod Ka Na Bang Maging Si Juan?, Jose C. Camano, edwinsoriano.com, BendzG, Emil Amok, The Struggling Blogger, Coffeedrunk, AttyAtWork, ade magnaye, baddieverse, ARTUJI, The D Spot, and Your Majesty Sire.

[Author’s Note: Global Voices Online published an expanded and a bit better version of this roundup.]