During the First Quarter Storm of 1970, I joined the parliament of the streets in denouncing the Marcos regime. I spent a lot of time outside the classroom where I thought I learned a lot about the real conditions in Philippine society. The Marcos regime was so well-entrenched that it remained in power until it was overthrown by the Edsa people power revolt in 1986.
In late 1989, I received an appointment letter from the Office of the President of the Philippines regarding my designation as an Undersecretary at the Department of Agrarian Reform. This was upon the recommendation of then Secretary Miriam Defensor Santiago. More than a year later, I found myself working at the President’s office itself as Head of the Presidential Management Staff and Deputy Executive Secretary after former Congressman and erstwhile Transportation and Communications Secretary Oscar Orbos became Executive Secretary.
How I made it from Mendiola and Plaza Miranda to Malacanang seemed to be such an impossible dream. But it became a reality only because Corazon C. Aquino became President.
As I write this piece, I join millions of Filipinos who are praying that God ease her pain as she wages a courageous battle against cancer. More than two decades ago, she led our country and people in excising a social cancer --- the Marcos dictatorship --- and restoring democracy to our blighted land.
I believe I speak for people of my generation when I say that she is an authentic leader and hero of our times.
In Good to Great, Phil Collins tells us of the type of leadership required for enabling an organization to make the quantum leap into greatness: “Compared to high-profile leaders with big personalities who make headlines and become celebrities, the good-to-great leaders seem to have come from Mars. Self-effacing, quiet, reserved, even shy --- these leaders are a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will. They are more like Lincoln and Socrates than Patton or Caesar.”
Even as President, Chief Executive and Commander-in-Chief, Mrs. Aquino maintained a simple demeanor. When I first met her, she welcomed me with a ready smile and made me feel at ease working with her. One of my duties was to serve as Cabinet Secretary. Every week, my staff prepared the working papers for weekly Cabinet meetings. I would brief her on the agenda about an hour before the start of such meetings. She presided over such meetings with grace and ease.
She was a stickler for punctuality. She made it a point to be at least half an hour early for all of her appointments. “The least I can do is to respect other people’s time,” I recall her saying. This is so unlike other Presidents’ (of countries and companies) well-known practice of flaunting their high position as an alibi for letting people wait on them.
When it came to dealing with matters brought to her attention, she always acted promptly and decisively. Matters requiring Cabinet members’ action were quickly referred to them and they were expected to act expeditiously and report to her what they had done.
Contrary to public perception, she was street-smart and savvy in political affairs. Recall that she chose Fidel Ramos over Ramon Mitra as her candidate for President despite the latter’s edge in political experience. Although this decision alienated some of her followers, history has proven her right. The Ramos presidency ensured the continuity of Mrs. Aquino’s democratization initiatives as well as the institutionalization of good governance programs.
Despite unfounded insinuations about Kamag-Anak, Inc. (in reference to her close relatives’ alleged involvement or undue interest in government deals), she was untainted by the stigma of graft and corruption that has been the bane of every President’s administration.
She was also a tough and resilient crisis manager. No other President (not even Marcos) had to deal with as many coup attempts and local as well as global threats --- including a major earthquake, a volcanic eruption and the Iraq-Kuwait war. Yet she demonstrated remarkable grace under pressure and kept our nation safe and intact through it all.
What set apart Corazon Aquino were the virtues of quiet leadership as defined by Harvard Professor Joseph L. Badaracco Jr.: restraint, modesty and tenacity. He wrote: “Notice that these are quiet, everyday virtues. None is readily associated with heroic leadership…undaunted courage, charismatic personality, willingness to sacrifice everything, noble passions, or unwavering commitment to a cause.”
Challenged by denizens of the deposed regime, she exercised remarkable restraint, and even agreed with her then defense secretary’s (Mr. Ramos’) decision to punish AFP renegades with ten push-ups. Her modesty --- humility is the more apt term --- is legendary. She never truly enjoyed being in the spotlight, and was never inclined to display the pomp and pageantry of her lofty office.
And yes, she was, indeed tenacious in her defense of democracy and freedom. Contrary to Prof. Badaracco’s depiction, she was unwaveringly committed to strengthening the democracy she fought so hard to bring restore. When Mr. Ramos mounted a charter change initiative late into his term, she rallied the people to take to the streets anew. Immediately after it became apparent that the incumbent President used her vast powers to win the 2004 reelection, she lost no time in asking her to step down even if she herself had been among those who helped install Ms. Arroyo in January 2001. In 2006, she even went to the Philippine Marines headquarters in Fort Bonifacio and called on the people to protect Col. Ariel Querubin and other officers who were expressing their dissent against their Commander-in-Chief’s alleged anti-people policies. This gesture earned her the ire of some sectors, but she remained unruffled and steadfast in asserting that we must remain vigilant in warding off all threats to our freedom.
Indeed, as her speechwriter (and now Makati Congressman) Teodoro Locsin, Jr. once wrote, she has made yellow the color of courage. She showed all and sundry that even a simple housewife could lead a people’s movement to overthrow a seemingly powerful ruler because theirs was a just cause. We identify ourselves with her because she selflessly heeded the call to serve at a most critical point in our country’s history.
We honor her because she made us proud to be Filipinos. She is Inang Bayan (motherland) and Ina ng Bayan (mother of the nation) personified. As she struggles in a painful personal battle with a dreaded disease, she evokes our respect and admiration as we recall how she as President once led us --- and how as a former President she continues to lead us --- in a continuing crusade to bring honor and dignity to our beloved country.
