Just a short note before I go to my Saturday radio program on RMN-Manila-DZXL today, a thought that was bursting since last night.
A note about the country's Tita.
She's the only president whom everybody called Tita, Tita Cory to be exact, a term of endearment that symbolizes how the nation looks up to her, not just the country's leader in those very interesting and trying times in our history as a nation, but also as an extended member of the Filipino family's home, an aunt, a Tita, whom everyone can rely on for love and inspiration.
Former President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino was the widow who emerged from her cocoon to lead a nation in gaining the grounds of democracy. But as the nation prays for her recovery, it is also acknowledged that she was more than a symbol of leader to us. She was part of our homes, our lives, proof of the Filipino's commitment to the preservation of the family as the basic unit of society.
I was still a high school campus journalist when Tita Cory was President.It was time of a battle between yellow and red or red and yellow. The Laban sign and the Victory sign.
It was also a time when Press Freedom in the country was slowly regaining its strength, functioning the key role of exposing the truth amidst many lies hidden through the years.
When I became a reporter professionally, she was two years away from the end of her term but I also had the opportunity of covering some of her official events as Chief Executive then. It was a thrill to cover the Tita for she would always have that demure smile, one that will definitely caught you off-guard, specially when that smile was directed to you. She was charming in person and she probably doesn't even know how powerful that charm was for there were even times, she would come across as shy--a shadow of the simple housewife that she was before she became the leader of a nation wanting CHANGE in those trying times.
CHANGE is a word we embraced then with Tita Cory as the symbol.
SOBRA NA TAMA NA---that was the clamor of an aching nation wanting so much to be healed from the political, economic, social and even cultural illness.
CHANGE is a word we long to claim these days.
It's interesting to note that in the midst of our common clamor for CHANGE, Tita Cory is in our hearts and in our minds again---a subconscious reminder that it is indeed time for the Filipino people to come out and do their part in effecting that change.
In her sickbed, Tita Cory is once again the one person who is leading us to take seriously the task of building a nation through meaningful reforms and genuine CHANGES.
Just like in '86, when the time comes, when no one is expecting, when the experts are saying, the Filipino people will not find it in them to rally again for truthful CHANGE--I trust that they will---WE WILL.
As we pray for the recovery of the Filipino people's TITA CORY---let us again reflect and ponder on what it really takes for a nation to CHANGE its course in history. (end)
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