AQUINO KIDS  MISS  CORY'S  ADVICE AND HER SPAGHETTI


[PHOTO AT LEFT - Children look on as workers finish constructing a stage for the unveiling today of a monument of former President Corazon Aquino at the corner of Roxas Boulevard and P. Burgos street in Manila. Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, who commissioned the monument, said he timed the unveiling to coincide with Aquino’s birth anniversary. Edd Gumban]

MANILA, JANUARY 25, 2010 (STAR) Icon of democracy, maker of the best spaghetti with meatballs in the world and a hands-on lola.

Former President Corazon Aquino, who succumbed to colon cancer on Aug. 1 last year, would have been 77 today, and is widely remembered for her role in the restoration and preservation of democracy in the Philippines.

Monuments are being unveiled today in her honor, and one of the most influential businessmen in the country launched yesterday a watch he especially designed in her memory, the Jaime Zobel “Cory Swatch.”

But to her children, she was simply a steadfast mother and a loving grandmother whom they long to kiss one more time.

“I miss her so much. I want to kiss her again,” says her eldest daughter Ballsy Cruz, who was also Mrs. Aquino’s private secretary during her presidency. “When I’m on the plane, on a trip, when I’m alone in my room, in the office. But I guess what I miss most is our calling each other everyday and our conversations.”

The late president’s second daughter Pinky Abellada, for her part, says that on “tough” days, she misses her mom’s “full support.”

“I miss her sound advice, her reassuring words. On regular days, I miss sharing stories about family and friends and laughing with her on special days. I miss her loving and kind acts. At Christmas, she would send a card and write to each and every sister of the Carmelites and Pink Sisters and even ask a sister to pray for one of us. When I visit their convents, the sister assigned to me and my little family comes to me to tell me they have been praying for us.”

Viel Dee, Mrs. Aquino’s fourth child and said to be the most private of all her five children, simply says, “Top of mind, Mom’s spaghetti with meatballs is still the best and we’ll forever miss that!”

“But more personally, I miss her involvement in bringing up our kids. Mom made sure that each of her grandchildren knew that they were special to her. Whenever she could, she would attend important events in their lives like their First Communion, graduation, a basketball game or even a simple school program. When they got sick, I would consult her first even before consulting a doctor!”

“Mom enjoyed stories about their small achievements. I’ll miss her especially when my daughter Jia graduates from grade school this March,” continues Viel.

Don Jaime Zobel de Ayala, patriarch of the Ayala clan and chairman emeritus of the Ayala Group of Companies, especially designed a Swatch watch for Mrs. Aquino to celebrate her legacy. It was unveiled yesterday at the Ayala Museum in ceremonies graced by Ballsy, Pinky and Viel.

In a letter dated August 2009 to Mrs. Aquino, a personal friend of his and his wife Beatriz’s, and never yet published, Zobel de Ayala wrote: “May this humble tribute be my way to honor you. It’s such a very small thing but do know that my heart and gratitude is in it.”

Virgie Ramos of Swatch, and a close friend of Mrs. Aquino’s who collaborated with Zobel de Ayala for the project, says that what she will miss most about the former president was how considerate she was of others.

“On the plane, even in business class, she would not tilt her seat so as not to inconvenience the person behind her. She would moisten her popcorn with water while watching a movie so the person next to her wouldn’t be bothered by the crunch. And when she was president, she was so careful not to inconvenience her successor. Just a small thing -- but I remember that when I gifted her with a magnifying mirror similar to that in The Peninsula, she refused to have the carpenters bore a hole in the bathroom of her official residence in Arlegui to install the mirror. It was not her house, she said. So I ended up giving her a mirror that could stand on its own on a table!”

A monument of Mrs. Aquino by renowned sculptor Ed Castrillo will be unveiled this morning across the Luneta. Photo exhibits by STAR chief photographer Val Rodriguez, who was Mrs. Aquino’s close-in photographer during her presidency, and Sonny Camarillo are ongoing, the former at the SM Megamall and the latter at the Glorietta 3.

Strength and fortitude

Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III remembers his mother as his family’s source of strength and the country’s source of fortitude.

In a Mass at the Edsa Shrine held yesterday in honor of Mrs. Aquino’s birthday today, Noynoy urged the Filipino people to continue his mother’s legacy.

“Imagine if we do live up to that ideal that my mother exemplified. Her unique brand of heroism and sacrifice could finally have younger, stronger and more creative versions that could only come from those of us she had left behind,” Noynoy said.

More than 400 Masses will be simultaneously held today, nationwide and abroad, in remembrance of Mrs. Aquino’s heroism.

Noynoy said the Aquino family still misses having their mother around because they had gotten used to the comfort of her presence.

“She almost always had a ready answer whenever problems arise. When she didn’t, she would provide wise counsel that always managed to make us feel better… We looked up to our mother as our leader, especially after my father passed away. She instantly became our source of strength, while becoming the face of fortitude for her countrymen,” Noynoy said.

“What gives me consolation, and courage to overcome the emptiness, is the realization that I am not alone in my grief. There are many others, like you, who felt the loss of a truly phenomenal woman,” he added.

He said that when people came to his mother’s wake and joined the nine-hour procession from the church to the cemetery, he felt as if “the spirit of People Power was reignited.”

“People wanted a piece of Cory Aquino, patiently waited in line and braved the elements just to get it, perhaps to remember what her sacrifice truly meant for all of us. Such a strong commitment to make sacrifices, and willingness to somehow emulate her character, demonstrated a people longing for a semblance of the sincerity that she embodied,” Noynoy said.

Manila unveils Cory monument

Meanwhile, the city government of Manila is unveiling today a monument honoring former president Aquino.

Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim said Mrs. Aquino’s statue will be placed beside that of her husband, the late Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino Jr., on the corner of P. Burgos St. and Roxas Blvd.

Lim said there will be no road closures during the unveiling ceremonies which will take place between 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Cavite-based sculptor Ed Castrillo and his son Nixxio created the monument.

The Cory monument stands 15 feet tall—as tall as the Ninoy Monument—and weighs 250 kilos. It is made of handcrafted brass sheets and is based on a photo supplied by the Aquino family.

It portrays the former president flashing the “Laban” sign with her right hand; in her left hand is the Philippine Constitution.

Lim said the constitution symbolizes President Cory’s love for democracy and her being a “stickler of the law.”

“Everybody knows President Cory to be a defender of the Constitution and never violated any law during her tenure,” Lim recalled.

The elder Castrillo also created the famous EDSA Shrine and the Bonifacio Shrine beside the Manila City Hall. — with Aurea Calica and Edu Punay