Posted Monday, October 4, 2004; 21:00 HKT
Somebody once asked me what it took to become the first woman President of the Philippines. I replied: "Well, first, you'd have to marry someone who was quite heroic. Then your husband would have to be incarcerated and assassinated. And then millions of your countrymen would have to take to the streets to back you." There's an element of accident in the history of Presidents, or for that matter, heroes—fate, if you think the way I do.

My husband Ninoy somehow believed he wasn't going to live long: he had to do everything yesterday. And he was young when he was arrested by Ferdinand Marcos in 1972, after which he became the dictator's main challenger. We were both 39 at the time. Ninoy celebrated his 40th birthday in his detention quarters in Fort Bonifacio. His co-detainees got him some joke gifts: a baby bottle and some diapers. After that, we agreed that life does begin at 40—which may be a lesson for the 20 young heroes you've been reading about in this magazine.

Ninoy's incarceration was the turning point for both of us. He was the extrovert with a capital E. I used to be a very private person. But he was in jail and I had to speak for him. When he was assassinated in 1983, people asked me to fill his shoes. At first I said, "Oh no, I am just a housewife. Find someone else." I was fully aware, however, that I faced a very serious choice. I could have turned my back and said no. But a hero is someone who is willing to sacrifice for others. Think of Nelson Mandela and his 27 years in prison. When things seem desperate or impossible, people like Nelson Mandela or Ninoy give you hope. So I thought: "If I don't at least try, my conscience may bother me later on and make me wonder if I could have made a difference."

I had some very great moments during my six years as President of the Philippines. But there were terrifying times too, especially during the coup attempts of August 1987 and December 1989. In August 1987, rebel soldiers got very close to my official residence and, in fact, shot and wounded my son Noynoy. In December 1989, hostile fighter planes buzzed Malacañang Palace and I really thought it could be the end. I sent for Father Bobby Perez, a Benedictine priest, and asked him to give a final blessing to me and my two younger daughters Viel and Kris. I also gave him Ninoy's diaries as well as mine for safekeeping. I sent my maids away, so they could seek safe shelter. Some of my Cabinet members told me I should leave Malacañang and flee for safety, possibly to the U.S. embassy. I never considered their proposals. As President, I believed my duty was to stand firm and remain in Malacañang, no matter what might happen to me. The rebels were defeated, but tragically, innocent people were killed in the siege of Makati. Sadly, too, the 1989 coup attempt destroyed most of the economic gains we had made in my first three years in office.

I used to think—or liked to think—that everyone had a quota for suffering and that I had filled mine. But I'm 71 now, and I realize it just doesn't work that way. My current goal is to expand the concept of People Power, with which I hope to be forever associated. People Power shouldn't be a mere political tool. It can be used to create jobs, deliver social services, improve the lives of all our people. I launched the People Power People Movement on August 21, 2003, the 20th anniversary of Ninoy's death, and initially identified 20 groups that are doing really heroic work, ordinary people doing extraordinary things. If you read the news, you'd think the Republic of the Philippines is utterly and hopelessly corrupt and inefficient. These groups prove otherwise. They share my view of the individual's role in society. You can never say, "No, I can't do this." True, you may not be able to do everything you take on, but you'll undoubtedly accomplish some of it. That may not sound very heroic. But believe me, from such a humble notion true heroism is born.

Corazon C. Aquino, President of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992, is chairperson of the Benigno S. Aquino Jr. Foundation

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