Today was a day for the dead as we trooped to the cemeteries with the rest of the populace to pay our respects to our dearly departed. There were two destinations today - St. James the Great Parish in Alabang to visit my grandmother, and Manila Memorial Park in Paranaque to visit my mother, with a side trip to Cory & Ninoy's tomb.
For those of you under a rock (or in another country) who do not know who they are, Cory and Ninoy Aquino are a couple that had great influence on the recent history of the country. Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino was a Philippine Senator during the time of the Marcos presidency. He was smart, articulate, and popular - well on his way to the presidency, hastened even more by the declining popularity of then President Marcos. Long story short, he got shot at the airport tarmac in 1986. His death led to a revolution and the eventual election of his housewife Cory to the presidency, who served as a symbol of clean governance and high morals for years to come. Cory died just this year, and with her death came the announcement by her son, Senator Ninoy Junior, that he wanted a shot at the presidency, but I digress.
Upon arrival at the tomb, I was pleasantly surprised to see how simple it was. I was half expecting such opulence to mirror the lifestyles of today's senators and other political lifeforms, but all that met my eyes there was a simple tomb, with 2 pillars and a roof. If not for the teeming throngs of loyalists and curious bystanders (as well as 2 TV network trucks and 2 huge spotlights), I would never have guessed it to contain an ex-president and a senator. I was also surprised to see no campaign material for Noynoy, save one small sticker and one yellow ribbon.
Oh, and guess who sent the biggest flower arrangement?
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