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Filipinos in Dubai remember Cory Aquino |
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08.04.2009 |
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Hundreds joined a church service on Monday night in Dubai held in honour of the late Philippine President Corazon “Cory” Aquino.
Clad in yellow shirts and donning yellow ribbons, the mourners gathered to pray for their revered “accidental” president, who succumbed to colon cancer after an 18-month battle.
The democracy icon is respected for her role in peacefully ending the Marcos dictatorship, which later inspired freedom movements around the world.
In his homily, Fr. Tom Veneracion, the parish priest of St. Mary’s Church in Dubai, said people should be happy knowing that Cory is now with God, and urged them reflect on the life and legacy of an ordinary woman who achieved extraordinary things.
“Who would have thought that she would rise from being a plain housewife to becoming the first woman president of the Philippines? In Cory’s death, the Filipino community sympathises with her family and to our beloved country … her death should push us to be good in our lives because we don’t know when we are going to die.”
Consul Edwin Mendoza led the Philippine Consulate officials who joined the service in which the congregation sang hymns such as “Hindi Kita Malilimutan” (I’ll Never Forget You) and “Magkaisa” (Unite).
Jennifer Gonzales, 48, who was a media relations officer for 22 years in the Malacanang Palace, also attended the service. “Cory’s time was a transition period,” said Gonzales, who is now a development and community relations manager at United International Private School in Dubai. “She may have been a plain housewife, but in interviews with media who asked her rude and nasty questions, she won them over with her wit, charm and intellect. But her lasting legacy is freedom of the press.
“She had a good work ethic and was never late in her appointments. She’s always shows up early, sometimes earlier than her security. Tita Cory’s memory will linger in our hearts. We need a deep soul searching now, and ask where we’re going.”
Gonzales said that current officials should “remember what Cory fought for. To remember why they are in office … that is to serve their countrymen. To live by her example: no corruption, no ulterior motives -- with pure intention to serve.”
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Source:www.xpress4me.com |
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