Aquino, Corazon (1933–)

Corazon “Cory” Aquino was president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. The country's—and Asia's—first female head of state, she personified the 1986 “People Power” uprising that overthrew the dictator Ferdinand Marcos and restored elite democracy in the Philippines.

Aquino was born into one of the Philippines' richest landowning families, the Cojuangcos of Tarlac Province. She was formally educated in the Philippines and the United States. In 1955, Aquino married Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr., a rising star in Philippine politics. Ninoy later became provincial governor, senator, and then Marcos's chief rival. When Marcos declared martial law in 1972, he jailed Ninoy, as well as other political opponents. In 1980, with Cory and the rest of his family, Ninoy was granted permission to travel to the United States for heart surgery. He returned in 1983 and was assassinated in the airport.

Aquino remained in her husband's shadow—a self-described housewife—until his assassination. Thereafter, she came to symbolize Filipino suffering under the dictatorship, which committed countless human rights atrocities. She considered herself to be the best-known victim of the atrocities. Under pressure [Page 182]economically and politically—investors deserted the Philippines and mass grassroots opposition developed after the assassination—Marcos called for a “snap” presidential election for February 7, 1986. On December 3, 1985, after the acquittal of military officers accused of killing her husband, Aquino announced that she would run against Marcos, vowing to be his complete opposite. With vice-presidential bet Salvador “Doy” Laurel, Aquino's candidacy galvanized the left-liberal opposition. She is widely acknowledged to have handily won the election, though Marcos cheated her out of her victory. The vote fraud created an electoral crisis that then led to the defection of key Marcos allies and military factions to Aquino's camp. On February 22, 1986, millions of Filipinos rose in mass revolt in what was to become the People Power uprising. People Power disintegrated the Marcos dictatorship and swept Aquino into power. She was sworn into the presidency on February 25, 1986.

Despite her sweeping mandate, Aquino squandered the opportunity to fundamentally transform Philippine society. As president, Aquino restored a multiparty system, released political prisoners, pursued peace talks with the Maoist and Muslim insurgencies, and convened a constitutional commission, which finished a new constitution the following year. Filipinos relished the “democratic space” that she helped usher in. At the same time, however, she retained key Marcos personnel and economic policies during her administration. And, like Marcos, she allied herself with the United States, the political godfather behind the dictatorship. Aquino developed a reputation for being apolitical and standing above the fray between left and right. Yet, her decisions progressively catered to the right. In the face of repeated coup attempts, Aquino relied increasingly on the military—and in particular, former Marcos crony and turncoat General Fidel Ramos—for political survival. In 1992, she anointed Ramos her successor. Though she symbolized a high point in Philippine grassroots activism, in the end, Aquino succeeded in restoring traditional politics in the Philippines.