Corazon Aquino Dies at 76
Corazon Aquino, whose movement pushed out longtime strongman Ferdinand Marcos less than three years after her husband’s assassination, died today at the age of 76.
From CNN:
Aquino, the first woman to lead the Philippines, had been battling colon cancer since March 2008 and died of cardio-respiratory arrest at 3:18 a.m. Saturday (3:18 p.m. Friday ET), said Mai Mislang, a spokeswoman for her son, Philippine Sen. Benigno Aquino III.
Funeral arrangements were being set up, Mislang said. Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has also announced a 10-day mourning period for the former president, said Ray Donato, the country’s consul-general in Atlanta.
“She was the agent of change in Philippine democracy, and almost all the Filipinos I know revered her during her presidency,” Donato said.
Aquino had been born into a wealthy family and was educated in the United States. She had not been involved in politics before her husband, opposition leader Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., was gunned down at Manila’s airport in August 1983 as he returned from exile.
Tags: Aquino, Aquino Dies, Benigno Aquino, Corazon, Corazon Aquino, Ferdinand Marcos, Manila, People Power
You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.
