Context and Content Analysis:

Speech of President Corazon Aquino

during the Joint Session of the
U.S. Congress
September 18,1986
AUTHORS: Gabutina, Guerra, Labrador, Lalic, Lambengco
REUSED/EDITED: GROUP 5 (BSBA12-MM2)
Mansilla,zia
Virtudazo,mario
Rosales, roberto
WHO IS MARIA CORAZON
COJUANGCO- AQUINO ?
• the 11th president (and first female president) of the Philippines
• born January 25,1933, in Tarlac, Philippines
• graduated from the College of Mount St. Vincent in New York in 1953,
with a bachelor's degree in both French and mathematics
• widow of Senator Benigno Aquino.
• was widely accredited as the “Mother of Asian Democracy”
• presidential term: February 25, 1986-June 30, 1992
.
Speech of President Corazon Aquino during the Joint Session of the U.S.
Congress, September 18,1986
Time written:
Assumed between April – September

Time delivered: September 18, 1986

7 months after the EDSA revolution (Feb 25,1986)
3 years after the assassination of Senator Benigno Aquino (1983)

Place Written: Philippines

Place Delivered: Washington DC, U.S. Congress

Speech of President Corazon Aquino during the Joint Session of the U.S.
Congress, September 18,1986
Important facts about the Martial law Periods:

• Ferdinand Marcos (Term of office: December 30, 1965 – February 25, 1986) signed
Proclamation No. 1081 on September 21, 1972, but democracy was still functioning
in the Philippines.
Senator Benigno S. Aquino Jr. was still able to deliver a privilege speech—
what would be his final one—in the Senate.
• Primitivo Mijares, among others, recounted the functioning of the House of
Representatives and the Senate, with committee meetings scheduled for that night.
Senate and House leaders agreed not to adjourn on this day, as earlier scheduled. They
decided to extend their special session to a sine die adjournment on September 23-
full effectivity of Martial Law (officialgazette.gov.ph)
• Martial Law would officially end on January 17, 1981 with Proclamation No. 2045.
• Today, the 1987 Constitution safeguards our institutions from a repeat of Marcos’
Martial Law regime. The Supreme Court is empowered to review all official acts
to determine if there has been grave abuse of discretion. Congress cannot be
padlocked.
Speech of President Corazon Aquino during the Joint Session of the
U.S. Congress, September 18,1986
SITUATION OF THAT TIME:
The Philippines is 7 months free from the martial law era that lasted for 14 years.
Democratic government
Economic State of the Philippines (GDP)
Speech of President Corazon Aquino during the Joint Session of the
U.S. Congress, September 18,1986
INTENT OF THE SPEECH

• To declare the freedom of the Filipinos from the Marcos regime

• To mark a new beginning for the Filipinos and to its government

• To appeal for financial assistance by informing the Americans about the Philippines’
state
Speech of President Corazon Aquino during the Joint Session of the
U.S. Congress, September 18,1986

PERSPECTIVE:

• As a victim of Marcos’ cruel regime

• As the faithful wife of Senator Benigno Aquino

• As the People’s Champion

• As the Mother of Asian Democracy

Speech of President Corazon Aquino during the Joint Session of the
U.S. Congress, September 18,1986
AUTHORITY ON THE SUBJECT:

She has the right to be the spokesperson of the people who suffered
under Martial Law because her own family is a victim of it.

As the president it is now her responsibility to be the leading force

of change that will uplift her people to the eyes of foreigners, asking for
financial aid and helping restore democracy by means of democracy
Speech of President Corazon Aquino during the Joint Session of the
U.S. Congress, September 18,1986
CONTENT SUMMARY:

Opening statement directly expresses her grief about her husband's death
but said that her husband's murder caused the country to find faith in democracy

Several more paragraphs tackling the challenges of their life--the three

times they lost Ninoy, the dictator's cruel attempts to break Ninoy but how Ninoy
stood heroically firm and how the traitor demolished democracy

Narrated her perspective as the "people's champion" on the revolution that

brought her peacefully to power as the president. She described Filipinos as people
willing to give anything just to achieve democracy.
 Speech of President Corazon Aquino during the Joint Session of the
U.S. Congress, September 18,1986
CONTENT SUMMARY:

She described how democracy was achieved under the most difficult
of circumstances and her ways to bring back democracy and restoring full
constitutional government

She finally mentioned the 26B dollar foreign debt and that the
Filipinos would honor it despite not having received its benefits
She once again appealed to the audience by strengthening the
national commitment of the Filipinos despite the many challenges and
problems they just faced and continue to face using it as her key point to why
the American's should extend financial help to the country that fought for their
own freedom
Speech of President Corazon Aquino during the Joint Session of the
U.S. Congress, September 18,1986
MAIN ARGUMENT:

President Corazon Aquino point outs the abuses of Marcos

with his power and how much he grapples it. But more importantly, the

speech is mostly about how the Philippines have recovered its

freedom and what should be done next to repair the monstrosity that the

last regime had created in the economy, politics, and the society of the

said country. Beneath all this story-telling also lies the main intent of

seeking for financial aid in paying the 26 Billion dollar debt.

Speech of President Corazon Aquino during the Joint Session of the
U.S. Congress, September 18,1986

BIASES:

The speech is obviously biased against the

Marcos and is very positive towards Corazon’s

husband Benigno.
Speech of President Corazon Aquino during the Joint Session of the
U.S. Congress, September 18,1986

INCONSISTENCIES :

The goal of the speech is hard to identify and at first

appeared as a story-telling of the challenges the Filipinos and

Cory’s family went through. It is inconsistent in the sense that it

has too many scattered points (mentioning Ninoy, defaming

Marcos, etc.) that leads to one simple main point which is to seek

for financial aid.

Speech of President Corazon Aquino during the Joint Session of the
U.S. Congress, September 18,1986

SHORTCOMINGS:

She lacked statistical and numerical facts as to why the

Philippines need financial aid. She focused more on telling a

story, appealing to emotions, selling the Filipinos as nationalistic

people to appeal for aid when she could have tried to be more

factual and objective.

Speech of President Corazon Aquino during the Joint Session of the
U.S. Congress, September 18,1986
AUTHOR’S CLAIM:
Claim: Marcos suspended the constitution and shut down the congress
Evidence: Marcos signs proclamation no. 1081 on September 21, 1972
and announces martial law through a television broadcast on September
23, 1972 at 7:15pm.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDCHIIXEXes

Claim: Marcos detains her husband with the intention of breaking his
spirit
Evidence: Marcos orders the incarceration of Ninoy Aquino a day after
he signs proclamation no. 1081. He was arrested on September 22, 1972
at the Manila Hilton Hotel a few days after he exposed the president’s
plan on the declaration of martial law.
Source: http://dzrhnews.com.ph/today-history-sen-ninoy-aquino-arrested-
sept-22-1972/
Speech of President Corazon Aquino during the Joint Session of the
U.S. Congress, September 18,1986
AUTHOR’S CLAIM:

Claim: And then, we lost him, irrevocably and more painfully than in
the past.”
Evidence: The assassination of Ninoy Aquino at NAIA 1983
Source:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vADEDZpetY&has_verified=1

Claim: The dictatorship called for its doom in a snap election

Evidence: Marcos announced the snap elections on November 1985
and it was held on February 7, 1986
Source: http://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/featured/the-fall-of-the-
dictatorship/
Speech of President Corazon Aquino during the Joint Session of the
U.S. Congress, September 18,1986

AUTHOR’S CLAIM:

Claim: We are restoring a full constitutional government

Evidence: Corazon Aquino appoints 46 men and women to the
Constitution Commission to legislate a new constitution.
Source: http://articles.latimes.com/1986-10-16/news/mn-
5630_1_new-constitution
Speech of President Corazon Aquino during the Joint Session of the
U.S. Congress, September 18,1986

COMPARISON WITH OTHER MATERIALS:

Speech of President Corazon Aquino on the

occasion of Labor Day
Delivered on May 1, 1986

Speech of President Corazon Aquino on

Freedom
Delivered at the Kalayaan Hall, January 20, 1987
Speech of President Corazon Aquino during the Joint Session of the
U.S. Congress, September 18,1986

RELEVANCE:

• Shows the importance of democracy not just in our government system but also
in our society.

• The speech serves as a reminder that once absolute power is granted into a
wrong person, abuse and corruption will be widespread into his administration.

• Informed the world regarding the challenges the Filipinos went through but also
one of their greatest moment in Philippine History

• Managed to gain monetary aid from the Americans and strengthen bonds with
foreign countries
 Further Analysis of Cory Aquino’s Speeches

MOTIVES AND PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES OF PRESIDENT CORAZON C.AQUINO AS REFLECTED

IN HER SPEECHES by DICKSON PUGOT PAGENTE
Representation of the Yellow Ribbon

Yellow was derived from the song, “Tie a Yellow

Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree,” of American
pop band Tony Orlando and Dawn which became a
hit in the ’70s. It recounted the anxiety of an ex-
convict who asked his girlfriend to tie a yellow
ribbon around an oak tree near their house as a
sign that he was still welcome in her heart after
leaving prison.

It was in Aquino’s death when the color yellow

resurfaced as a way of paying tribute to the
woman regarded as the liberator of Filipinos
from the oppressive Marcos years.
I would rather die a meaningful death

than to live a meaningless life

-Corazon Aquino-
 QUIZ TIME!
1) Who’s speech have we analyzed today?
2) When did Martial law official start in the Philippines? (Exact date)
3) When did Martial law officially end in the Philippines? (Exact date)
4) When was the speech given? (Exact Date)
5) Where was the speech delivered?
6) What is the order of her presidency? (pang-ilan sha sa mga naging presidente)
7) How much was the debt left behind by the Marcoses? (estimated amount)
8) Where was the concept of the yellow ribbon derived from?
9-10) Give at least 2 representations of Cory Aquino’s Yellow Ribbon