The 76-year-old Aquino was diagnosed with colon cancer in March of last year and was treated with chemotherapy. Last May, she underwent surgery to remove parts of her colon and was brought to the Makati Medical Center in June due to loss of appetite. She never left the hospital, as her declining condition sparked a wave of emotion in the country and prompted the widespread appearance of yellow ribbons - on trees, car antennas, and even the Web.
“She would have wanted us to thank each and everyone of you for all your continued love and support. It was her wish for all of us to pray for one another and for our country," Senator Aquino said. "Hinihiling ng aming pamilya ng kaunting panahon para makasama ang aming ina."
He added that they chose a private funeral arrangement for the late president rather than avail of a state funeral in Malacañang. [See: No state funeral for Aquino]
After being confined for barely two months at the Makati Medical Center, Mrs. Aquino passed away early Saturday morning surrounded by her children.
Celebrity host and family friend Boy Abunda was inside Mrs. Aquino’s hospital room during the final moments of the former president's bout with cancer.
"They were praying the sorrowful mystery… Doon niya hininga ang last gasp niya(That's where she gasped her final breath). They were praying around the bed [with] the children… Pagkatapos dumating iyong malalapit na kamag-anak at malalapit na pamilya(Then, the close relatives arrived)," Abunda recounted to reporters waiting outside the MMC.
Abunda observed that while the other Aquino children “silently wept" when their mother died, celebrity Kris Aquino, the youngest of the five siblings, seemed the strongest.
"Kris was very quiet. She was [showing] such courage," Abunda said.
Dressed in her signature yellow, Mrs. Aquino rallied the middle class in a series of protests culminating in the 1986 people power revolt that toppled the 20-year regime of strongman Ferdinand Marcos and swept her to the presidency.
She blamed the Marcos government for the assassination of her husband, opposition leader Benigno “Ninoy" Aquino Jr., who was gunned down at the Manila airport upon returning from exile in 1983.
The former housewife reluctantly took over as Marcos’ main challenger, becoming an international icon of democracy after her victory sparked a wave of pro-democracy movements around the world. Time Magazine named Mrs. Aquino its Woman of the Year in 1986.
With reports from Sophia Dedace, Andreo Calonzo, Aie Balagtas See, Ruby Anne M. Rubio and Cheryl M. Arcibal GMANews.TV
