Cory’s unfinished autobiograpy

(Remembering Cory Aquino on her 5th death anniversary)

(Conclusion)

Ballsy Cruz cannot forget an incident last month in Ozamis City. “I met a nice lady and she said, ‘I met your mom many years ago. I even borrowed earrings from my mother because I was going to meet Cory. But when I met her, she was so simple, I realized I didn’t even have to use my mother’s earrings’,” Ballsy said.

Cory Aquino’s simplicity was one of her strengths, and she had many. Though to the manner and the manor born, she was never extravagant.

“I might like a good pair of shoes, but that’s it,” she once told me. When she was President, she drew a thick line between what was government’s, and what was hers. When her daughter Kris’ movie Pido Dida was premiered in the Palace in 1990, Cory made sure the food served was from the family kitchen, prepared by the long-time Aquino cook. When she travelled officially with one of her children, she would ask her office to ask Philippine Airlines to bill her for her child’s fare. This, even if she was entitled to have an official companion since she didn’t have a spouse.

I also once asked her if it was difficult to resist temptation to partake of the spoils of power, and she quite sternly told me, “Look, Ninoy died for our country, how could I steal from it?”

***

Cory has an unfinished autobiography, all of 56 pages, according to Aquino family friend and former Aquino Agrarian Reform Secretary Philip Juico. Cory sent it to Juico through his wife, Margie, after her presidency, for his comments. Part of it was handwritten, part of it was typewritten.

After Cory passed away, Juico asked the Aquino children if they wanted Cory’s unfinished autobiography to be made into a book, with the last remaining chapters of her life to be filled in by people she trusted.

“But the Aquino children said no, because they didn’t want it said that they were making political capital of the book during Noynoy Aquino’s presidency,” Juico revealed.

When she was still alive, Cory would share that those who have read the first few pages of the book turned the pages with tears in their eyes.

Juico said he misplaced the book a few years ago. So he visited the tombs of both Ninoy and Cory and prayed, “Isauli niyo na po sa akin ang manuscript.”

Lo and behold, the following day, one of his aides found the manuscript!

Perhaps, Cory’s unfinished book will be completed by Noynoy, who took up the torch she passed on to him — in more ways than one.

***

Juico shared the story of the unfinished Cory autobiography at the Bulong Pulungan lunch forum at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza last Tuesday. During the forum, The Philippine Postal Corp. (PHLPost) presented special scented stamps and souvenir sheets featuring a collection of floral paintings done by the late former President whose fifth death anniversary we mark tomorrow, Aug. 1.

PHLPost coordinated with some of Cory’s dearest friends who lent the said artworks in their possession to realize the special scented postage stamps. These include businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan (Rosary and Roses Series), PEZA director general Lilia de Lima (Blooms of Unity), The Philippine STAR president and CEO Miguel Belmonte (Overflowing with Good Wishes) and Metrobank chairman George Ty (Enchanting Blossoms and Fifth Painting).

Meanwhile, the first day cover cache will feature the paintings lent by the Aquino family.

Enlarged replicas of these limited edition, rose-scented stamps will be on exhibit along with rare photos of Cory at the Glorietta Activity Center on Raffles Drive in Makati City starting Aug. 5. The exhibit, “History and Her Story” will be inaugurated on Aug. 4.

One of the paintings featured in the commemorative stamps, Overflowing with Good Wishes, was a gift to Miguel Belmonte and his wife Milette in February 2003. Cory stood as sponsor in their wedding in January 1987, and this was mentioned in foreign news reports because it was shortly before a rally for the ratification of the 1987 Constitution, and the President “was looking so relaxed despite the rally she later would attend.”

Belmonte said the color of The Philippine STAR’s masthead, which is predominantly yellow, wasn’t chosen by the STAR’s founding chairman, the late Betty Go-Belmonte, for simply aesthetic purposes.

“My Mom said it was a show of support for President Cory,” Belmonte disclosed.

***

About 200,000 copies in four designs of the special scented stamps will be printed using imported unwatermarked paper and floral scented ink. The stamps will be sold at P25 per piece. PHLPost has also printed 7,000 copies of the souvenir sheet at P100 each

The Cory stamps and official first day cover shall be available starting Aug. 1, at the Post Shop, Postage and Philatelic Division located at the Manila Central Post Office, all area offices, and post offices nationwide. (You may e-mail me at  [email protected].)