Obituary : Corazon Aquino

I chose the obituary of Corazon Aquino for several reasons. One, it was the first one that I saw as I navigated to the obituary section. Two, the name is familiar to me as I know a bit about modern Philippine history and the key figures involved. And three, I genuinely find interest in the work of Cory, the housewife-turned-politician who replaced the supposed evil tyrant who imposed martial law on the archipelago for decades.

The obituary was a very watered-down article about Cory, giving a very brief glimpse of the political work that she was involved in after the escape of Ferdinand Marcos. It mentioned how she was a very modest and charming woman who was largely responsible for directing her country out of the dark abyss of martial law and introducing democratic reforms to a new era of Philippine history. It also mentioned her lack of effectiveness in other areas of her rule, stating that her rule was wracked with "indecision, naivety and a lack of political instinct." In other words, this obituary attempted to provide some sort of "overall" coverage of the political life of Cory Aquino, not praising her too much while not criticizing her too much either (an attempt at neutrality maybe?) The obituary also gave a very simplified and (to me) problematic coverage of the nation of Philippines in general, like a sort of background information that assumes a readership that has no prior knowledge of the country and that will be enlightened upon digesting this brief information. The Philippines is described here almost as some form of melting pot of confusing mixes of cultures and races, a place where the people speak "American with a Latin twang," a place that has always been difficult to be taken "seriously." Such essentializing characteristics as put out by whoever wrote this obituary not only do not relate to the life of Cory Aquino, but they cast the people of the Philippines into some predetermined notion of "otherness" and "different," as if three centuries of Spanish and one century of American colonialism were not enough.

If I wanted to find out more about the life and achievements of Corazon Aquino, or just to know more about the Philippines and its history and people, this is certainly not the place to inquire.