MANILA, Philippines - As President Aquino led his family and close friends in commemorating the fifth death anniversary of his mother Corazon yesterday, his show biz sister Kris called on the people to “stand by him and give him strength” in the face of controversies hounding his administration.
Kris appealed to supporters to make her brother feel that “he is not alone” in the fight for good governance and against poverty. The President was silent during the ceremonies.
“He can’t do it on his own. We need to stand by him and give him strength. And please pray with us also that he stays alive,” Kris said after Mass at the Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque City.
Kris said they were praying for “good health, wisdom, strength, courage” for their brother, who is reeling from the controversy over pork barrel funds and the Disbursement Acceleration Program.
Kris said she and her sons were always praying for Aquino, that he would always have inspiration.
“And I hope those who believe in him will make him feel everyday that he is not alone… Mom, I know you are so proud of your son and in the same way, all of us here right now, we are so proud... really everything he is and you know… we know... we are what we are because of our parents,” Kris said.
The death of his mother was widely perceived to have boosted Aquino’s presidential bid in 2010.
In his emotional State of the Nation Address on Monday, Aquino sounded like he was bidding goodbye, observers said.
The presidential sister said the people should not only make their support felt when Aquino was being criticized “but more importantly in the moments that he is doing good.”
Kris expressed confidence that a great majority of the people “still really believe” in the President and in his sincerity and achievements.
The only problem, she said, was that those who were supportive of Aquino were not speaking loud enough.
Kris said even some people in the media had shown their bias and so she vowed to wear yellow in her television shows to counter them.
“When it was mom’s time and I can see (Defense) Secretary (Voltaire) Gazmin now, there was never an issue on our part. We didn’t have to pray for her. No matter what she went through we knew she could handle it. But it’s really different when it’s your brother. You really feel different, what you want to do to help is really different,” Kris said.
Kris said she has the right to talk because she is a big taxpayer. “And this is the time that I am not complaining,” Kris said, adding she was grateful for the big income and for the fact that her taxes go to the right programs and projects and were not being pocketed.
She thanked their spiritual adviser who celebrated the Mass, Fr. Catalino Arevalo, for his guidance and for making them feel “heaven is our ally.”
“For all of those wearing yellow and those who continue to wear yellow… thank you very, very much and I know that mom is really happy in heaven right now,” Kris said.
Malacañang, for its part, said the people must remember the virtues for which Cory was best known and which endeared her to the public – courage, humility and compassion.
“This is the legacy she left us with, a legacy that marks not only the pages of our history but also our collective memory. In gratitude for her contributions, let us seek to emulate these virtues as we continue her work of establishing a stronger, even more vibrant democracy,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.
Cory Aquino rose to prominence after the assassination of her husband, former senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., on Aug. 21, 1983.
“In the years leading up to the 1986 EDSA Revolution, President Cory embodied the country’s struggle for freedom – a struggle that continued during her presidency as she sought to undo the mistakes of the past and establish safeguards to ensure that the country never falls under a dictatorship again,” Lacierda said.
“Even after her presidency, she remained active in the country’s affairs – a true icon of democracy not just in name but in actions – and supported various social projects as well as charitable institutions,” he said.
“Five years after her death, we still see clearly how her life proves that the Filipino is worth living for,” he added.