To the lady in yellow -- farewell and thank you

It's been about 10 minutes since the funeral rites were concluded. It took the funeral cortege some 8 hours to reach the Manila Memorial Park. Requiem Mass at the Manila Cathedral at 9am, depart at a bit past 11am, enter the cemetery after 7pm. For now I can think of nothing else to say but "thank you" to the woman whose courage and moral integrity have become clearer these past few days as people who knew her shared their stories.

Again, maraming salamat, Pres. Cory!

Tearful Filipinos flock to 'Cory' Farewell

2:01pm UK, Wednesday August 05, 2009

More than 150,000 mourners dressed in yellow have packed into the Philippine capital for the funeral procession of much-admired former president Corazon 'Cory' Aquino.

The crowd stood at least 10-deep as a truck carrying the coffin slowly made its way through the streets of Manila on the way to the cemetery.

Military helicopters circled overhead, showering mourners with yellow confetti - the colour associated with the Mrs Aquino's 1986 people power democracy movement.

Millions also watched on TV and via the internet as the nation said farewell to the unassuming woman who was reluctantly catapulted to prominence after her husband's assassination in 1983.

She went on to lead peaceful protests in 1986 against notorious dictator Ferdinand Marcos, forcing him into exile, before serving as president until 1992.

Her death from cancer last week at the age of 76 has been followed by an outpouring of emotion from grateful Filipinos, who have flocked to see her body lying in state.

Full story and more photos at SkyNews

Addendum:

It's easier to appreciate all that had been happening the past several days (and to appreciate Pres. Cory herself) when one knows and understands the significance of the People Power Revolution of 1986 and the events leading up to it. Unlikely heroine, penned by Sheila Coronel for MercatorNet, contains background information and several links to other articles.