Goodbye and Thank You, President Cory.

I am of nonexistence when Martial Law ruled the land, when Ninoy Aquino was assassinated, and a small baby when Mrs. Corazon Aquino took the challenge to fight on democracy and restore the rule of law in the then dictator-led Philippines. I grew to know about Tita Cory - a woman, a mother of her children and of the nation, an optimist, fighter, and a leader. I knew that she bravely took the mantle of battling tyranny and risk an awful lot of possibilities to fight for what her late husband have always believed in - to end oppression by the Marcoses, and fight for freedom. She has always been a beacon of hope for the nation, a soft voice of moral dignity, and an icon of democracy. Kind yet of an iron core, simple and yet of extraordinary quality, a soft voice and yet of thundering influence. That was Cory in my eyes. She fought for what she believes is right, no matter how difficult that is.

To you, President Corazon Aquino, you surely will be missed.