María Corazón "Cory" SumulongCojuangco Aquino (January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Philippine politician who served as the 11thPresident of the Philippines, the first woman to hold that office, and the first female president in Asia, though not the first female Asian head of state. Aquino was the most prominent figure of the 1986 People Power Revolution, which toppled the 20-year authoritarian rule of President Ferdinand Marcos and restored democracy to the Philippines. She was named Time magazine's "Woman of the Year" in 1986. She had not held any other elective office.
A self-proclaimed "plain housewife",[1]she was married to Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr., the staunchest critic of President Marcos. She emerged as leader of the opposition after her husband was assassinated on August 21, 1983 upon returning to the Philippines from exile in the United States. In late 1985, Marcos called forsnap elections, and Aquino ran for president with former senator Salvador Laurel as her Vice-President. After theelections were held on February 7, 1986, the Batasang Pambansa proclaimed Marcos and his running mate, Arturo Tolentino, as the winners amidst allegations of electoral fraud, with Aquino calling for massive civil disobedience actions. Defections from the Armed Forces and the support of thelocal Catholic Church led to the People Power Revolution that ousted Marcos and secured Aquino's accession on February 25, 1986.
As President, Aquino oversaw the promulgation of the 1987 Constitution, which limited the powers of the Presidency and re-established thebicameral Congress. Her administration gave strong emphasis and concern forcivil liberties and human rights, and on peace talks to resolve the ongoingCommunist insurgency and Islamist secession movements. Her economic policies centred on restoring economic health and confidence and focused on creating a market-oriented and socially responsible economy.
Aquino faced several coup attemptsagainst her government and various natural calamities until the end of her term in 1992. She was succeeded as President by Fidel V. Ramos, and returned to civilian life while remaining public about her opinions on political issues.
In 2008, Aquino was diagnosed withcolon cancer from which she died on August 1, 2009. Her son, Benigno Aquino III, has been President of the Philippines since June 30, 2010. Throughout her life, Aquino was known to be a devout Roman Catholic, and was fluent in French and English besides her native Tagalog and Kapampangan.
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