The life story of Cory Quirino

( First of two parts )

She comes from a bloodline that is no stranger to tragedy: Her paternal grandmother, an uncle and two aunts all died in one swoop in the hands of the Japanese during the liberation of Manila.

Cory Quirino, however, was more fortunate than her relatives. She survived what could have been sure death in the hands of her abductors during that horrible kidnapping almost eight years ago. (Her kidnapping is now the subject of a forthcoming Carlo Caparas movie entitled NBI Files: The Cory Quirino Kidnap Case, The Power of Prayers with Ara Mina playing Cory Quirino.)

Although she had her own share of heartaches, pains and that traumatic experience in the hands of her abductors, Cory basically led a rather charmed life from the start. Imagine having been born in a palace in Malacañang – when her grandfather, the late Elpidio Quirino, was President of the Republic of the Philippines. She still has memories of Malacañang – especially the colorful peacocks running all over the Palace grounds. And yes – of this man in an all-white suit cuddling her on his lap.

Since she was still very young when her grandfather became President, most of the information she now has of their Palace life and her Quirino relations were supplied by her father, Tomas, and her aunt, Victoria (mother-in-law of pop diva Kuh Ledesma).

The massacre of her grandmother, her aunts and her uncle, of course, is the most painful and will forever be etched in the heart of every Quirino descendant.

According to Cory, her grandfather Elpidio and her grandmother Alicia (Syquia) were living with their children in Arlegui up to the end of the war when, during liberation, the Japanese troops forced all the families in the San Miguel district out of their homes – including the Quirinos.

The family was actually crossing the street when the Japanese open fired – hitting the mother Alicia, eldest son Dodie, daughter Norma and the youngest, Fe, who was then only three. Elpidio saw how his wife and children fell to the ground, but had to go on so that he could bring the two other kids – Tomas and Victoria – to safety.

When he returned the following day to retrieve the remains of his family members, he discovered that the baby, Fe, had been bayoneted mercilessly. And then, the body of Norma couldn’t be found because she got separated from the rest of the family during the shootout. Norma – so the story goes – had to appear as a spirit to the surviving family members to give directions so that her body could be located. Her remains were eventually discovered about a block away from where her mother and siblings had fallen.

After the war, Elpidio Quirino who – during the peacetime – had already been elected senator twice and served as Secretary of Finance and Interior Secretary under the Quezon administration resumed his career in politics. He was elected Vice President and was also designated Secretary of Finance and, later, Secretary of Foreign Affairs by President Manuel Roxas.

When Roxas died in office on April 15, 1948, Quirino assumed the presidency. Since he was a widower, daughter Victoria had to play First Lady and Malacañang hostess to Palace guests.

In Carmen Navarro Pedrosa’s book, The Untold Story of Imelda, there is an interesting anecdote about how Elpidio Quirino – then already President – was supposed to have been enchanted by the then 20-year-old Imelda Romualdez. President Quirino was then visiting Leyte and Imelda, as the Rose of Tacloban, was asked to perform song numbers during the program in honor of the President Quirino, who that time was said to have been enthralled Imelda’s fresh beauty. However, probably in deference to his office, President Quirino did not pursue his quest of Imelda.

Maybe that’s why every time I would bump into Mrs. Marcos, she would always tell me that my grandfather was a very good President," relates Cory.

Of course, Cory Quirino is also aware that there were a lot of unkind words hurled against ther grandfather during the time he was President. Quirino’s political foes, in fact, even initiated impeachment proceedings against him during his first year in office.

Fortunately for Quirino, he was able to prove his detractors wrong when – in spite of all the nasty things said against him – he still won in the 1949 presidential elections.

One of the more ridiculous issues thrown Quirino’s way concerns his supposed purchase of a golden chamber pot (orinola) – which, according to Cory – was really nothing but a plain orinola bought in Baclaran. "That orinola was actually bought by my mother (the former Conchita Rastrollo) to potty train my brother Butch," swears Cory. But when it came out in the papers the following week, it became a golden orinola – if there’s such a thing," says Cory, shaking her head.

Also, there was this issue of the supposedly luxurious four-poster bed bought by her grandfather. "But that four-poster bed was eventually passed on to the Magsaysays when they occupied Malacañang after the term of my grandfather. We never brought that bed with us. It was left in Malacañang for the use of future tenants," claims Cory.

"You know what, just to show you that what a good and fair person my grandfather was, he could have easily controlled the Manila Chronicle back then because Fernando Lopez was vice president that time. But he didn’t do such thing," she insists.

Cory only regrets the fact that her grandfather didn’t live long enough (he died on Feb. 29, 1955) for them to have shared more moments together. However, she claims that she used to see her grandfather a lot in a recurring dream. It was a dream that was always the same Elpidio Quirino would get off a portrait that was hung in the living room of their Urdaneta Village home and tell her: One day, you are going to know what you will do with your life. I’m always here for you."

Her grandfather’s message actually came true. After surviving that ordeal with her kidnappers almost eight years ago, Cory Quirino by now already knows her mission in life.