Catholic schools give Cory posthumous award

Catholic schools on Wednesday night paid tribute to the late President Corazon Aquino with a posthumous "Deo et Patria (In the service of God and Country)" award. The Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) conferred the award during its national convention at The Manila Hotel. "The Aquino Family, led by Senator Benigno 'Noynoy' Aquino III, received the award on behalf of their mother during a special tribute on the first night of the convention," the CEAP said in an article on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) news site. Mrs. Aquino is the second Filipino to be given such award after the late Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin. Both Mrs. Aquino and Sin played key roles in two EDSA revolutions that ousted Presidents Ferdinand Marcos (1986) and Joseph Estrada (2001). Mrs. Aquino succumbed to colon cancer last Aug. 1. Her death and the 26th death anniversary of former Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. sparked a surge of popularity for their only son, Sen. Aquino. Sen. Aquino had announced his intention to run for president in 2010. CEAP includes as members 1,240 Catholic universities, colleges, high schools, and elementary and pre-schools in the country. - GMANews.TV