Long before the first EDSA revolution, and even before Cory Aquino contemplated running for President in the 1986 presidential election, I happened to have a personal encounter with Cory Aquino, the then newly widowed wife of former Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino.
I was a Member of the Board of Directors of the Credit Management Association of the Philippines (CMAP) when Cory Aquino was invited by our association to be our main guest speaker during our Monthly General Membership Meeting on Feb. 28, 1985, held at Garden Hall, Manila Garden Hotel. I was in-charge of the seating arrangement in the presidential table, as my usual duty. I put my place tag to the right of our association President, who was assigned the right seat next to Cory Aquino. By our usual protocol the main guest speaker must be seated at the center of the table.

After setting up the place tags on the presidential table, I proceeded to the reception table as I was also a member of the Reception Committee to welcome the Guests and members of the association. Somebody was assigned at the Main Entrance of Manila Garden Hotel to wait for Cory Aquino and to usher her in upon her arrival, including any other companions she might have.

While manning the reception table which was set up before the entrance door of the Garden Hall, I happened to glance at my back and saw a familiar yellow dress coming from the entrance door from the underground garage. There was Cory Aquino, slowly but elegantly walking towards us, with a handbag on her left arm and a big shopping bag on her right arm. As I looked at her, she was a simple looking housewife going her business of shopping with an ordinary looking paper shopping bag.

I immediately alerted all the members of the Reception Committee and we welcomed Cory Aquino. I greeted her and introduced myself as a board member of CMAP, and she just simply replied “Kumusta Ka” without even mentioning my name. Probably, in my anxiousness in meeting her, I had spoken so softly in reverence to her presence that she did not hear clearly my name. It was only then that I noticed that she was alone and without any bodyguard which was a common sight for any Philippine political dignitary or important people during that time.

She came using the underground parking instead of the normal custom of guests entering the venue through the hotel main entrance. I was not even able to ask her whether she droved by herself or was driven by her driver to the underground car park.

We then ushered her inside the big hall where the lunch and meeting wouldl be held. I even offered to carry the paper shopping bag she was carrying on her right arm, but she politely declined saying that “Okey lang, magaan naman ito.”

The CMAP meeting proceeded normally, first attending to our association’s business with the Speech of the Guest Speaker scheduled after lunch. As I had arranged, Cory Aquino was at the center of the table, with our association President seated between her and me, while the Vice-President and the Secretary of the association was seated on the left of Cory Aquino. During the first part of the meeting, I did not had any chance to talk with Cory Aquino as by Protocol, the President was the one entertaining and talking with her. I was contented to be just a listener to their conversation and to the proceedings of the meeting.

At one point during the program before lunch, the President of our association who was seated between me and Cory Aquino, stood up and left the table for some reasons. I chanced upon this opportunity to talk with Cory Aquino and inched my way towards her seat. I did not touch on any political issues but just informed her I was an avid admirer of her assassinated husband, Ninoy Aquino. I even told her that I voted for Ninoy when he first ran as a senator of the Philippines. I further told her that I also voted for her husband during Martial Law even if Ninoy was still in prison.

I was holding then the program for the day with her picture at the back, when I suddenly thought if she could sign my copy of the Souvenir Program. She said “Ano nga pala ang pangalan mo?” In which I replied, just address it to “Obet Dionisio”, and she obligingly signed my souvenir program copy. To my utter surprise, she further said “I can do better than that”. And she continued, “Would you like copies of Ninoy’s book?” Before I could reply, from underneath the table where we were seated, she pulled up two books. It was only then that I found out that the paper shopping bag she was carrying contained several copies of the two books of Ninoy entitled “Testament from a Prison Cell” and “Poems and Prayers”. Who would refuse such an offer from the very revered widow of Ninoy Aquino, who after his untimely death, was considered an unofficial national hero. And she signed with dedications the two books of Ninoy Aquino, and gave them to me.

I asked her how much the books were, and she replied that they were for free and complimentary for me in welcoming her when she arrived, but she would be requesting a very small favor, if she may. And she told me if we could set up a table where she could display the books of Ninoy and the membership could buy them if they were interested. According to her, the books were not available from any bookstore or from anybody, except from the members of their family and other close relatives and friends. She further said that somebody will be coming over after lunch to man the table. Immediately after finishing my lunch and before her speech, I stood up and set up a table near the entrance door. True to what she said, somebody came over with more copies of the books.

At the appointed time, she delivered her speech. She began her speech narrating her special relationship here husband and how Ninoy loved his family. Cory did not even talk about herself. Her thoughts were consumed with the memories of his assassinated husband. She proceeded that even when they were in the United States of America as an exiled family, Ninoy was only thinking of how he could help his beloved Philippines. She told the membership present that Ninoy’s only dream was to give all he can for the country, short of saying even his life. She even jokingly told Ninoy that, “You love the Philippines more than you love me” And Ninoy would just smile and hug her, not denying or confirming what she said.

She delivered her speech in a very mellow voice, saying nothing inflammatory and no vile words against the perpetrators of the murder of her husband. The gist of her speech was more of awakening the flickering fire of love for our country. She just requested us to remember Ninoy and implored the people present not to let in vain the sacrifices made by Ninoy and the cause he stood for. She further said that Ninoy, despite knowingly that something unexpected could befell his return to the Philippines, and throwing all cautions to the wind, did not falter in his resolve in going back to his beloved country. Cory did not invoke any rebellion or insurrection against the government of the present administration of the Republic of the Philippines. If there was a hint of this, it was silently embedded between the words of her speech. She just urged us to continue the struggle to end Martial Law and bring back democracy to the Philippines. And she ended her speech with the words “Ipagpatuloy natin ang laban ni Ninoy” which ultimately became her campaign slogan when she ran for the Presidency of the Philippines. No doubt, there she given an standing ovation coupled with deafening applause from the membership of CMAP, acknowledging the moving speech of Cory Aquino.

When the meeting was over and Cory had gone, I was holding my copy of our souvenir program and the two copies of Ninoy’s books, signed and with dedication from Cory Aquino. I did not know whether I was the first one who got hold of the books, or whether my copies were the only ones signed and with a personal dedication by Cory Aquino.

From thereon, I could not fathom the influence of Cory Aquino on myself as I was mesmerized by her presence during our encounter. That was why when I heard about the influx of people to EDSA on that fateful day of February 1986, I organized a group in our BF Homes neighbourhood and proceeded to EDSA together with millions of people who supported Cory Aquino and Fidel Ramos during the first EDSA revolution.

I kept the books and the souvenir program as treasures and memento from a grand lady of the Philippines, not knowing that she would be instrumental in establishing back the democracy in the Philippines, and who would later on became the first female president of the Philippines. And to this date, except for some wear and tear from my constant reading, I still have them in pristine condition as when these were signed and personally handed to me by no less than the future President of the Philippines, Pres. Corazon “Cory” Aquino on Feb. 28, 1985. And to prove all of these, I am attaching scanned copies of our Souvenir Program and the pages where Cory Aquino wrote her personal dedications to me.

 

 

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