Cory one of Time Magazine's 25 most powerful women of 20th century

Time Magazine has named the late President Corazon Aquino as one of the 25 most powerful women of the past century. Aquino is the only Filipino and one of three Asians in the prestigious list, which includes:

• Indira Gandhi, the world's longest-serving female Prime Minister;
• Jiang Qing, "the Madame" of China's Mao Zedong;
• Nobel laureate Marie Curie;
• modern literature pioneer Virginia Woolf;
• fashion legend Coco Chanel;
• beauty icon Estee Lauder;
• Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger;
• Nobel Peace Prize winner Mother Teresa;
• Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin, and
• Queen of Talk Oprah Winfrey, among others.

An article posted on the Time Magazine website in November said "Cory Aquino had no political ambitions of her own until her husband Senator Benigno Aquino was assassinated in 1983."
Time noted that Aquino "became a unifying force against the autocratic President Ferdinand Marcos and ran in the 1986 presidential election. The ruling powers declared Marcos the winner, but a series of peaceful demonstrations along with backing from the church finally put Aquino in power." In 1987, Time Magazine named Aquino, then the newly-installed President of the Philippines, as "Woman of the Year." The Time "Person of the Year" (formerly Man of the Year) is an annual issue of the magazine that cites a person, couple, group, idea, place, or machine that "for better or for worse ...has done the most to influence the events of the year. Palace: Recognition "well-deserved" Meanwhile, Malacañang said the inclusion of Aquino in Time Magazine’s list of 25 most powerful women in the past century was “well-deserved" and uncontestable. Aquino is the mother of incumbent President Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III. Presidential Communications Operations Secretary Herminio Coloma said on Thursday that as an icon of democracy, Cory Aquino “made Filipino people power a global best practice that was emulated by freedom loving people in all regions of the world." On the other hand, Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said no one can contest that Mrs. Aquino, who died in 2009 of colon cancer, was “a real democracy icon." “I am happy that her achievements have been recognized," she said. Four Time Magazine covers Aquino first appeared in the cover of Time Magazine on January 3, 1986. A bespectacled widow and inexperienced politician vying for the presidency, Aquino caught the attention of the international media as she campaigned for people power and democracy. On the cover, Aquino's photo was placed side by side with the late President Ferdinand Marcos, whom she was challenging in the presidential race. More than a month later, on February 24, 1986, a day before the historic EDSA Revolution, Aquino appeared again on the Time cover. With her oversized gold-rimmed glasses and wavy cropped hair, Aquino was identified as the Philippine opposition leader. The cover story described the bloody and chaotic aftermath of the snap presidential elections and the beginnings of Aquino's non-violent People's Victory campaign to oust Marcos. Less than a month later, Aquino again graced the magazine cover, this time appearing with newly-elected Vice-President Salvador Laurel. On January 5, 1987, Aquino was on Time's cover again as the magazine proclaimed her "Woman of the Year." When asked if she would run again after her six-year term, Aquino said, "I think I was needed just for the transition, when people had to find somebody they could believe in, someone not out of the traditional political mold. Somehow, in the people's perception, I fit that particular role. But I am sure that six years from now, there will be many qualified people, and I will have earned a well-deserved rest." Asian heroes In Time Magazine's 60th anniversary issue published on November 16, 2006, Aquino was named as one of the "60 Asian Heroes." She was cited for being a peaceful fighter and prayerful leader who restored freedom in the Philippines. After Aquino lost her battle to colon cancer on August 1 last year, Time published a special report to pay tribute to the "woman who changed Asia." The magazine called her the "Saint of Democracy" and lauded her for leading a peaceful revolution that has been emulated all over the world. - VVP, GMANews.TV