PHILIPPINES: Mourners attend fomer president Corazon Aquino's wake dressed in yellow.

Record ID: 735514

  • Title: PHILIPPINES: Mourners attend fomer president Corazon Aquino's wake dressed in yellow.
  • Date: 4th August 2009
  • Summary: PHILIPPINE FLAG AT HALF MAST IN A PARK HORSE CARRIAGE PASSING IN FRONT OF PARK YELLOW RIBBONS IN BOX WORKER TYING YELLOW RIBBON ON LAMP POST IN FRONT OF CATHEDRAL MANILA CATHEDRAL
  • Embargoed: 19th August 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Philippines
  • Country: Philippines
  • Topics: Obituaries,Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAB39NBQRW8991E6GDAQBK7GL2O
  • Story Text: Mourners pour into a school gymnasium in Manila wearing yellow in tribute to ex-President Corazon Aquino, who died after a battle with colon cancer.
    Hundreds of Filipinos mourning the death of Corazon Aquino visited her remains on Sunday (August 2), a day after she died of a cardio-respiratory arrest.
    A line formed in front of a Manila school campus as early as 4:00 a.m. Many wore yellow, the trademark colour of Aquino.
    The whole nation grieved her death, as Filipinos attribute their democracy to Aquino's personal struggle.
    Aquino, known as Cory or Tita Cory (Aunt Cory), was president from 1986 to 1992. But she is best remembered, more than two decades after the fact, as the slim woman in yellow who led the "People Power" revolution that toppled dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
    Some enterprising vendors sold yellow Cory T-shirts and were making good profit from mourners looking for souvenirs. A shirt went for 120 pesos each (2.50 U.S. dollars).
    "People want to have a souvenir of someone, because they love that person, so they want to have T-shirts to remember her in her death," a vendor said.
    Rose Amiado, who came early for the wake, bought a couple of T-shirts and said she really wanted to wear yellow for Aquino.
    "She was not just like a mother to us. I feel my being a Filipino will not be complete if I don't see her here," she said.
    Sunday newspapers honoured Aquino, calling her the nation's "great gift" and "eternal flame."
    "Grief has settled over the nation, uniting rich and poor, old and young, the partisan and the apathetic, men and women, soldiers and civilians," The Philippine Inquirer's editorial said.
    Flags were at half-mast across the country. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared a 10-day mourning period for Aquino.
    Her remains will be brought to the Manila Cathedral on Monday (August 3) where preparations are being made with many yellow ribbons.
    Tony Orlando's 1970s hit "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" was Aquino's popular campaign jingle when she ran in snap elections against Ferdinand Marcos.
    Aquino will be buried on Wednesday (August 5) beside her husband at the Manila Memorial Park.
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