Aquinos to gather for Mass on Cory's 1st death anniversary

President Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III and his four sisters will attend a Mass at La Salle Greenhills on Sunday to commemorate the first death anniversary of their mother, former President Corazon Aquino. The Mass at the St. Benilde Gymnasium will be celebrated by Bishop Socrates Villegas, D. D. A short program titled "Her Legacy, Our Promise," which will begin 9:30 a.m., will precede the Mass. The late Aquino, fondly called "Tita Cory" by the public, is considered an icon of democracy for having been one of the leaders of the 1986 People Power Revolution that ended the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos' 20-year rule. She passed away August 1 last year after battling colon cancer. Her wake, which was attended by thousands of prominent personalities and ordinary folks, was also held at La Salle Greenhills. Pinky Aquino-Abellada, one of Mr. Aquino's sisters, said in an interview over GMA News' Unang Hirit that the entire family will proceed to Mrs. Aquino's tomb at the Manila Memorial Park after the Mass. The president's other sisters are Ballsy Aquino-Cruz, Viel Aquino-Dee, and celebrity Kris Aquino-Yap.
Mrs. Aquino was buried beside her husband, martyred senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. who was shot at the Manila International Airport on Aug. 21, 1983 upon his return from exile in the US. Like the death of her husband, Mrs. Aquino's passing resulted in an outpouring of love and support from the public. Her death even gave rise to calls for her only son Noynoy, then a relatively low-key senator, to seek the presidency, which he eventually won handily. Abellada said the Aquinos are thankful for the continued expressions of appreciation for Mrs. Aquino. "Nagpapasalamat ako sa pagmamahal at respetong binibigay sa mom namin. Iniisip ko, siya mismo di rin nya siguro inakala na ganito yung ipapakita sa kanya ng taong bayan (I am thanking everyone for the love and respect they give my mom. I think even she would not have expected this kind of response from the people)," said Abellada. Mrs. Aquino was named in a survey as the nation's most beloved political leader in February, six months after her death. New 'people power' Mrs. Aquino's nephew Rafael Lopa, executive director of the Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation, said during the pre-mass program on Sunday, several organizations will pledge their commitment to help the new Aquino administration and usher in a new "People Power." “We want the commemoration of President Cory’s first death anniversary to go beyond the tradition of babang luksa and the celebration of her life as our unique icon of democracy and integrity in governance," Lopa said in a statement. “Now that the spirit of volunteerism is very much alive, we’d like to harness our people’s talents and energy to make a difference among needy sectors of our society," he said. These include the groups One Tama, Hapag-Asa Integrated Nutrition Program, Dynamic Teen Company, Gawad Kalinga, Sparks for Change, 57 75 , KIDS Foundation, Aklat, Gabay, Aruga Tungo sa Pag-angat at Pag-asa (AGAPP), and YES Pinoy Foundation. Several cyclists are expected to take part in “Ride for Cory" in honor of Mrs. Aquino before the program. They will ride around the Ortigas-Boni Serrano-EDSA-Connecticut loop from 6:45 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. for the benefit of cancer-stricken Filipinos and their loved ones, Lopa said. — Jam Sisante/RSJ/ VVP, GMANews.TV