Cory! Cory!

"Cory! Cory! Cory!..." is the cry that flooded EDSA back in 1986, the year the Marcos Regime was toppled down and Cory was elected into office. I was about two years old.

I grew up listening to my parents', uncles', aunts', and grandparents' politically charge conversations. I was EDSA revolution kid. Growing up I thought Marcos was scum and Cory was the bulwark of good governance. Things change and so did my opinion of both former presidents. Marcos wasn't totally evil and Cory wasn't totally the best president the Philippines has had. After all, there are no absolutes in this world.

Nevertheless, she's an icon in Philippine history whom a lot of people will always admire and love. She tried to lead the best way she knew she could - by living out the values that she solidly held on to. A deeply religious woman who, despite hailing from an affluent family, exuded humility and simplicity. She was a private person who didn't really have the desire to be in the limelight, despite her husband being a strong public figure. It took a lot of courage for this woman to have stepped up after her husband's death, and to have challenged Marcos' position president of the Philippines in hopes of bringing positive change to the Philippines.

It was through Cory that we were able to re-establish democracy to this country.

The questions are, is democracy really the right form of government for the Philippines? Did her tenure bring more development to the country or was it the other way around? That's another discussion for another day.

Issues aside, she was an admirable woman. I pray that we all remain inspired by her conviction and her faith in the good things that we capable of as a people.

R.I.P. Former President Cory Aquino.

It feels as if an era has ended with her passing.....