Philippines

Over 100,000 brave rain for Corazon "Cory" Aquino funeral

Article published on the 2009-08-05 Latest update 2009-08-06 11:01 TU

Kris Aquino, daughter of the late former Philippine President Corazon Aquino, places a cross on the casket during the requiem mass at her mother's funeral at Manila Cathedral
(Photo: Reuters)

A huge crowd filled the rain-swept streets of Manila on Wednesday to pay their respects to former Philippine President Corazon "Cory" Aquino, who died on Saturday, aged 76.

Over 100,000 people, many of them openly weeping, watched the funeral cortege, according to police. The flag-covered coffin took four hours to cover just a third of the route, as military helicopters showered the crowd with yellow confetti. Yellow was the symbolic colour of the "people power" revolution which brought Aquino to the presidency.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo made a brief pre-dawn visit to Manila Cathedral to pay her respects to Aquino, who supported her early career and then broke with her over allegations of corruption and abuse of power.

But Arroyo was not invited to the invitation-only mass, which was attended by two former Presidents, Fidel Ramos and Joseph Estrada. Vice-President Noli de Castro was the only senior government member at the mass.

Two children of Ferdinand Marcos, the authoritarian President whom Aquino drove out of office, paid their respects on Tuesday . His wife, Imelda, who was unpopular for her alleged corruption when her husband ruled the country, declared that a reconciliation between the two families would be "a miracle for the Philippines".

Obituary: From housewife to people power President