A
VERY SPECIAL MOMENT WITH PRESIDENT CORY
by
Antonio C. Antonio
August
1, 2014
Today
is the 5th Death Anniversary of President Corazon
Cojuangco-Aquino. This is just my simple
tribute to the hero of all freedom-loving Filipinos.
In
the 1st quarter of 1989, the TarlaqueƱos, under the leadership of
Governor Mariano Un Ocampo III, organized a dinner to honor the greatest
daughter of Tarlac, President Corazon C. Aquino. This occasion eventually became a fund raiser
to support the livelihood projects for the people of Tarlac. President Cory was very gracious to lend her
presence in this noble cause.
As
sure as this was an austere activity, most of the participants in the program
were volunteers. With three other
amateur/bathroom singers (Em Santos, Malou Dizon and Armin Ibarra), I found
myself a reluctant volunteer to provide entertainment for President Cory, the numerous
guest dignitaries and the paying patrons.
We had barely two weeks to choose the appropriate musical pieces, re-arrange
songs and record the background music. We
only had two practice sessions in a small room at the Tarlac Provincial Capitol
building but nothing enough to prepare us for singing in a venue as spacious as
the main function hall of the Philippine International Convention Center.
So
the great day came and our moment of trial was at hand. It was hard enough to sing before a handful
of friends, harder when we had to sing before a crowd of 4 thousand and hardest
when the President of the Republic was present and barely 8 feet away from us. As we were being introduced preparatory to
our number, Governor Mar, as he promised us earlier, leaned towards President
Cory to provide us with a small measure of “excuse” that we were all amateurs
and mere volunteers to this daunting task. I noticed that President Cory nodding as
Governor Mar whispered to her… then she looked our way and gave us a reassuring
smile that things will work out right.
The
music blared through the crystal clear sound system of the PICC and I stepped
forward to start things off. It was hard
enough to stand there and sing… harder since I had to be the first one to sing
and set the tone for the entire performance.
My knees trembled as I filled my chest with air. Then, on cue, I belted the lines: “See the fire in the sky. We feel the beating of our hearts together…” The crowd suddenly burst with a round of
applause as I stepped backwards and Em stepped forward to do the next 2 lines
of the first song. Then I looked towards
President Cory and our eyes met. She gave
me an approving nod and I will never forget her smile. Our nervousness was suddenly gone and we
proceeded like professional singers… like we did this every day of our lives.
Three
more songs and our part was over. After
taking a bow, all of us approached President Cory and she said: “Sabi ni Mar amateur daw kayo? Gee!...
you guys were very good! Thank you.”
I remember answering: “Salamat po Ma’am for the encouragement, you really
made it easy for us.”
This
is our unforgettable experience with President Cory. Like the person she really is, she helped us
calm down when we were so nervous, she made us feel strong when we were wilting
in fear, she made us believe in ourselves when we had less of it and she made
us feel that we can do things beyond our own capabilities. President Cory’s simple smile, noble nod and
dignified demeanor encouraged us, ordinary singers, to sing ordinary songs
extra-ordinarily well. This is indeed a
very special moment with President Cory.
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