In Memory of Ninoy and Cory Aquino
"I believe that the vocation of politics must be accepted by those who take up the service of leadership as a vocation in its noblest meaning: it demands 'all of life. For the life of one who would lead his or her people--in our time as never before--such a life must strive for coherence with the vision aspired to, or else that vision itself and its realization are already betrayed.
That vision must itself be present, in some authentic way, in those who seek to realize it: present, in the witness of their example; present, in a purity of heart vis-à-vis the exercise and usages of power; present, in an ultimate fidelity to principle, in a dedication that is ready to count the cost in terms of “nothing less than everything.”
It is Cardinal Newman, I believe, who said that in this world, we do good only in the measure that we pay for it in the currency of our own lives. For us Christians, there is always the image of Jesus, and the price his service demanded of him. And for me there has been, as a constant reminder, the sacrifice my husband offered, and the word that it has spoken, to me and my people."
By Corazon C. Aquino - Oct 1995
