The Real Deal

Corazon Aquino, husband of Benigno Aquino Jr., is best known as the Mother of Democracy for leading the People Power Revolution and the liberation of the Filipino people from the authoritarian regime of Ferdinand Marcos. This is the primary reason of her inclusion in Time Magazine’s “The 25 Most Powerful Women of the Past Century” list. But the question extracted from this issue is whether the late president deserves to be enlisted in such list.

Although a self-proclaimed housewife, Cory surprised the masses with effective leadership.  Despite having no political background, she was a skilled campaigner and a strict legislator. She administered the restoration of democracy in the country and the promulgation of a new constitution, limiting the powers of the presidency and establishing a bicameral legislature. Her administration focused on human rights, peace talks and dialogues with communist rebels and Muslim secessionists. She centered her reform on the economy of the country by focusing on creating a market-oriented and socially-responsible economy. 

On the contrary of everything that has been said, there are certain flaws that can be inferred from her administration. The government paid off $4 billion of the country's unsettled debts to redeem good international credit ratings. However, it also borrowed an additional $9 billion, increasing the national debt by $5 billion within six years time since the coup of the Marcos administration in 1986. During her presidency, electric blackouts were common in Manila. The administration knew for years that the power plants were failing, but they did not act to solve the problem. Some people cannot help but think that she was only a substitute to her husband; she is not really the one responsible for the democracy of the Philippines.

Weighing up all the evidence, what is the real deal in the situation?