Cory Aquino -- the mother of Democracy in the Philippines -- dies and is buried

Do you remember the People Power revolution in the Philippines in 1985?

There has never been anything like it, either before or since.

An uprising of the Filipino people resulted in the overthrow and exile of a "strong-man" dictator -- Ferdiinand Marcos -- without a single person being killed or harmed.  With martial law in place, with the full support of the military, with control of most of the media and the support of the United States, he still lost.  And the resulting government was a Constitutional Democracy modeled on the United States form of government.

This revolution started with an exercise in brutal power.  Ninoy Aquino -- Cory's husband -- was shot and killed as he got off the airplane in Manila after coming home from the United States, planning political opposition to the Marcos regime.

His wife, Cory, vowed to keep the battle going. She called for an open election for President.  President Marcos called for a snap election as a way of shutting down the unrest raised by the murder of Ninoy Aquino.

Cory had everything going against her.  She was a woman, Filipino's were macho, and did not believe a woman should be in power.  She was in shock from the death of her husband, and continued to wear the yellow dress she had on when her husband was shot.  The government was corrupt, and Marcos' minions openly went out offering money in exchange for votes, and were quite willing to "fix" the vote count.  Another political figure -- Salvador Laurel -- was ready to throw his own hat in the ring, which would further split the vote, making it impossible to overthrow Marcos.  President Ronald Reagan was a great fan of Marcos, and there was a large US military presence there, so there was even the possibility that the US military would step in and help keep Marcos in power.

But suddenly everything changed.  Salvador Laurel, who had been adamant about wanting to be President himself, suddenly agreed to run in the Vice Presidential position with Cory Aquino.  Cory's message that she was running to complete Ninoy Aquino's dream resonated with Filipino men, who could relate to the idea that if something happened to them, their own wives would want to continue going forward in their memory.  The yellow of Aquino's dress became a symbol for the People Power revolution.  Supporters wore yellow or yellow armbands to show their support. People responsible for counting the votes openly opposed a false recount and worked to preserve the paper ballots.

The military was mobilized.  This could have easily been a real slaughter.  Mobs of disorganized rioting people could have been gunned down and the revolution repressed.  But instead of being met by angry mobs, they met something they could not handle.  Young women came forth and draped the soldier's necks with garlands of flowers.  An old woman in a wheelchair stopped in front of a tank to keep it from moving forward.  In a time of heavy media coverage, all this was televised for the world to see.

And the people marched on Malacanan Palace.  Adult children of powerful politicians were throwing their hat in the ring, supporting the people power revolution.  Marcos and his military strong men were ready for a final confrontation, and again there was danger of a mass slaughter, because the crowds could not stand up to those weapons.

But even that was defused.  A plane was offered to Marcos, and he and his family was allowed to leave in peace with anything they could carry with them.  They took that option rather than staying to fight and face a revolution.

So Marcos, and martial law, was overthrown.  A new Constitution was crafted, based on the US Constitution, but tailored for the unique differences of the Philippines.

The Philippines had real Democracy.  It still is not perfect, there is still government corruption, there are still people wanting ultimate power, but it is still designed to be responsive to the will of the people.  Cory Aquino was the new President, and the symbol for the victory of the people over the power of an entrenched dictatorship.

Cory Aquino has now died.  This is an emotional time for the Philippines.  It is the emotional equivalent of the death of John F. Kennedy in the United States, because more than anything else the death of this person is the death of a symbol for the best in everyone.

Cory's story is a story which should never be forgotten.  It is a bigger than life story, a legend which is hard to believe, an example which shows that it IS possible for people to make a difference in their lives, and in their government.  It is a legend which shows that sometimes the good guys win.  It is Don Quixote tilting at the windmill -- and winning!  It is an unbelievable fantasy made real.

The memory and the legend of Cory Aquino should live on.  Generations from now people should still remember her name.