Corazon Aquino

Political leader and president from (1986 to 1992) of the Philippines. In 1983 she succeeded her murdered husband, Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr.(A popular critic of the Marcos administration), as leader of the opposition to President Ferdinand Marcos. No one could have imagined that Cory Aquino would become a president of the Philippines.

"As I came to power peacefully, so shall I keep it." Corazon "Cory" Aquino, the first woman to become president of the Philippines, was born in Tarlac on January 25, 1933. Her parents are Don Jose Cojuangco and Doña Demetria Sumulong. Cory was the sixth among the eight children of the Sumulong. Corazon Aquino's children are Maria Elena Aquino, Aurora Corazon, Victoria Eliza, Noynoy and Kris Aquino, her youngest child is a TV and movie personality.

Corazon Cojuangco was born into a wealthy, politically prominent family based in Tarlac province, north of Manila. In 1946, her family left for the U.S. and she enrolled at Ravenhill Academy in Philadelphia. She finished her junior and senior years at Notre Dame College in New York. She entered Mount Saint Vincent College in New York City in 1949 where she finished a Bachelor of Arts, major in French. In 1953, she returned to the Philippines to take up law at the Far Eastern University, but then abandoned further studies in 1955 to marry Benigno Aquino, who was then a promising young politician. Cory remained in the background during her husband's subsequent career, rearing their five children at home and later in exile. Her husband was assassinated upon his return to the Philippines in August 1983.

When Ferdinand Marcos unexpectedly called for presidential election in February 1986, Corazon Aquino become the unified opposition's candidate for the presidency. Though she was officially reported to have lost the election to Marcos, Aquino and her supporters challenged the results, charging widespread voting fraud. High officials in the Philippines military soon publicly renounced Marcos continued rule and proclaimed Aquino the Philippines rightful president. On February 25, 1986, both Aquino and Marcos were inagurated as president by their respective suppoerters but that same day Marcos fled the country.

In March 1986 she proclaimed a provisional constitution and soon thereafter appointed a commission to write a new constitution. The resulting document was ratified by a landslide popular vote in February 1987. Inspite of her continous popular support, Aquino faced an ongoing outcry over economic injustice, a problem that was only exacerbated by continuing warfare between the communist insurgency and a military whose loyalties to Aquino were uncertain. In general, her economic policies were criticized for being mixed or faltering in the face of mass poverty.

Aquino children are Maria Elena Aquino, Aurora Corazon, Victoria Eliza, Noynoy and Kris Aquino. Her youngest child is a TV & movie personality.

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Father's Day

Father's Day is a day honoring fathers, celebrated on the third Sunday of June in 52 of the world's countries and on other days elsewhere. It complements Mother's Day, the celebration honoring mothers.

In the Philippines, Father's Day is not an official holiday, but is widely observed on 3rd Sunday of June. Most Filipinos born in the 60's to 70's and so on, did not celebrate Father's day but due to being under the influence of the United States as seen on television, the Filipinos most likely imitates this tradition and other American holidays. The advent of the internet also helps in promoting this holiday to the Filipinos.

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Foundation of the Christian Church

The Christian Church began in Palestine in the reign of the Roman Emperor Tiberius, At first it seemed to be one of the many movements of religious renewal within Judaism, distinguished by its belief that Jesus of Nazareth, who had recently died and risen again, was the expected Messiah (or divine deliverer of Israel) and would shortly return to complete His work. This Jewish Christianity contributed much to the Church's heritage: its memories of Jesus, methods of worship, communal organization, and moreal seriousness.

Jewish Christianity did not, however, become the dominant influence in the new movement, which was quickly taken up by the Greek-speaking Jews of the Dispersion. (The "Dispersion" is the name given to the scattering of the Jews after the Exile in Babylon). The whole character of the movement was being changed by this extension of memebership in God's people to the Gentile world. Their attempt to mould the spreading Church to their own pattern was resisted by the apostle Paul, himself a Jew of the Dispersion; and their hope of success was ended by the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. From then onwards Jewish Christianity survived in forms which played only a minor role in the Church's history.

The Christian faith was taken to the Gentile word by innumerable travelers, traders, and officials as well as by the apostles and their helpers. By the middle of the first century there were Christians in Rome and a string of local churches in Greece, Asia Minor, Syria and Cyprus. When Paul was arrested, he was confidently pressing on with plans to visit Spain. There were already well-establishes Churches in Gaul and north Africa in the latter half of the 2nd centrury. Beyond the Roman empire the faith spread to Persia and America.

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The Protestant Reformation

In 1517 Martin Luther launched his famous attack on the sale of indulgences by the Church. He won instant support from a Germany that resented taxes imposed by an Italian Pope and was not protected by a central monarchy. When he went on to defy the Emperor of Worms in 1521, he began to win the support of princes who feared the power of Charles V. The protection of the Elector Saxony saved him after Worms. It was the princess of the League of Schmalkalde who, with French help, eventually forced Charles V to come to terms.

Luther in his turn up held the power of the princess, and strongly condemned te Peasant's Revolt of 1525. But the movement he started was always for him religious rather than political - the duty of the princess was to establish true religion; the source of try religion was the Scriptures; if rightly understood, these made plain that man could gain salvation only by throwing himself upon the mercy of a just and loving God; he could not earn salvation by his own efforts, and needed no priest to stand between him and God; all true believers were priests, and the Church existed wherever the Word of God was truly preached by His ministers. Luther was thus attacking the whole basis of the Catholic Church, which held that man must perform good works to merit salvation, and that a priesthood was necessary boeth to interpret the Scriptures and bring men to God through the sacraments of the Church. Luther's ideas were the foundation of all the Reformed churches.

Luther made no clear and complete statement of his faith, and the Lutheran movement was weakened both by the divisions among his followers and by a feeling that Lutheranism was a faith for rulers rather than commoners.

(The Groiler Society Lmtd.)

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The First Printing in the Philippines

The first printing press in the Philippines was established by the Dominican friars in Manila in the year 1953. That was 47 years before the appearance of the first printing press in the United States. The first printing press in Manila printed books by means of the old xylographic methos, that is, printing by using engraved woodblocks.

In 1602 Father Francisco Blancas de San Jose, with the help of Juan de Vera (Chinese Christian printer), improved the printing press by using the typographic method, that is, printing by means of movable types.

In 1608 Father San Jose transferred the printing press to Abucay, Bataan, where he was assigned as parish priest. In this town, he trained a young Filipino named Tomas Pinpin in the art of printing. In subsequent times the printing press was moved from place to place - from Abucay to Pila (Laguna), from Pila to Manila, from Manila to Bacolor (Pampanga), and from Bacolor back to Manila. It is still existing as the University of Santo Tomas Press. Truly, it is one of the oldest printing presses in the wolrd.

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