Yes, kids! Your Chop Suey writer, indeed, had coffee with Cory. Okay, okay. So I was not the only one who had one. At least around 300 plus of us did have coffee—and more—with former President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino at the Malacañang Palace. Although I was just one of the many Manila Science High School (MaSci) students and teachers who went to the palace that day, to be a few feet away from Cory was—and still is—a memorable and unforgettable experience worth remembering and cherishing.

I was a member of MaSci batch ’91 that was invited by Cory to have lunch with her at the palace in 1991, almost a generation ago. For all of us, that visit was the crowning glory of our four years at MaSci. It was—and, for me, still is—the ultimate bragging right for students who did not know any better then.

Just what led to our visit to the seat of power in the Philippines?

Thanks to a Classmate

Believe it or not, kids, it was not the reputation of our high school that led to that Malacañang visit. Sometime in the year 1990, a classmate of ours, Miko Casamayor, was invited to appear on the television program of Cory, Magtanong sa Pangulo. One segment of the program featured Cory interacting and discussing various topics with studio guests. Miko was one of the featured guests in one episode.

To this day, many of us are still wondering how Miko got invited in that program. I’m sure that many students back then were green with envy, although none would actually admit it. Cory was so impressed with Miko that, our school principal, Daisy Banta, announced that the President of the Philippines, the Cory Aquino, would visit our school. Wala nang nagpa-cool pa! Everyone was delighted and excited with the news. And who wouldn’t be? It’s not every day that the president of the country would waste her time to visit a public high school along Taft Avenue.

It was during her visit to MaSci when Cory invited our batch to have lunch with her at the palace. Syempre yabang ng batch namin! I don’t have anything to back this up but I think that it was the only time—at least, during Cory’s administration—that an entire batch of students from one school was invited to the palace.

Big Day at the Palace

The big day came and off we went to Malacañang. Since it was the seat of power, all of us naturally had to pass through all forms and manner of security checks before we can set foot inside. At that time, the palace was converted into a museum since Cory held office in another building inside the palace compound.

We were given a short tour of the palace. And there we saw, aside from the usual presidential memorabilia, the excesses of the leadership that Cory helped oust: Imelda’s ridiculous shoe collection, a gas-powered toy car of the Marcos grandchildren, the Marcos bedroom that was virtually an intensive care unit (ICU) with all the machines and hospital equipment inside, the paintings, clothes, and other similar items that belonged to the Marcoses.

Lunch (and Coffee) with Cory

It was already around two in the afternoon when we had lunch (Finally!). Cory was there along with some members of her Cabinet, most notable of whom were then Executive Secretary Oscar Orbos and then Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Ceferino Follosco.

A short program was held. Some of my batchmates presented their science projects to Cory. The school choir rendered several songs, including “As Time Goes By” and the song that was identified with Cory’s husband, former Senator Benigno “Ninoy” S. Aquino, Jr., “The Impossible Dream”. (On a side note, we also managed to violate protocol when the batch rendered another song after Cory had delivered her message. We later learned that after the President has spoken in any gathering, the program should already end and nothing else should follow—not even a single song! I have no idea who was made accountable for that blunder.)

Cory then gave a short speech and ended by encouraging us to study well and, on a personal note (which probably was a sign that she was different from any other leader before or after her), she told all of us to write to her; to remind her that we were part of that group of students that visited the palace; and to inform her of what has happened to us and what we have been up to. After the program, we had our pictures taken with her. As a remembrance, all of us were given a yellow mug (Did you expect any other color?) with the witty line printed on it: “I HAD COFFEE WITH CORY”.

Pogi Points

My experience during that Malacañang visit did not have anything to do with idealism, love for country, or anything that remotely resembled any nationalist feelings. What all of us were probably thinking at the time were the pogi points that we managed to earn by being invited to the palace. I’m sure that members of our batch had these thoughts in mind: “Mamatay kayo sa inggit (addressed to another prominent science high school)!” or “Kayo hindi inimbita (addressed to lower MaSci batches)!” Indeed, being a few feet away from Cory was nothing more than something that we could brag about. Our Malacañang visit ended at around four in the afternoon. Afterwards, Cory and our batch went our separate ways. I did not write to Cory (I know you want to say it: Shame on me!). I know of one batchmate who did. I have no idea about the rest.

A Mother Reminding Her Children

As they say, hindsight is 20/20. It dawned on me afterwards that the words that Cory imparted to us at the end of her speech—for us to write to her and to inform her about what we have been up to—were like precious words coming from a mother. It was as if a mother was lovingly and sincerely reminding her children to always stay in touch and to never be far from one another. I believe that, even for only a few hours during that visit, Cory managed to make all of us a part of her life.

We have to remember that Cory was the president at that time. She was the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). She was the most powerful person in the country. And we were in her “house”. Literally, she could have intimidated us; brag to us her achievements and accomplishments; or even sell to us her role in history and the restoration of democracy in the country. After all, we, with our impressionable minds, were still in high school. For all of our intelligence (mostly perceived and/or imagined) back then, we also had the tendency to believe anything, especially coming from a president. But instead of being “presidential”, Cory chose to be someone more special.

Cory chose to be a mother to a bunch of rowdy, arrogant, and self-centered high school students. Just as what she had done the moment she decided to play a supporting role to Ninoy’s struggle against the dictatorship. Just as what she had done when she had to take care of her children when Ninoy was jailed and, eventually, assassinated. Just as what she had done when she, herself, had to lead the fight against the dictatorship. And just as what she had done when she had to nurture a people and a country walking the path of a restored democracy and freedom—during and after her term in office.

And true to form, even when she was already suffering from cancer, Cory was still a moral force and presence to her children, us Filipinos, reminding all of us to safeguard our most precious possession—the country’s democracy. Death was already imminent and Cory was still showing genuine and sincere concern for her children’s well-being. Only a mother can do that!

Looking back almost a generation ago, our batch was, indeed, lucky to have been given the opportunity to visit Cory at the Malacañang Palace. But I now realize that we were even luckier to have lived before, during, and after Cory’s presidency so that we can share to future generations of Filipinos the kind of president, hero, and mother that we had during our time.

To Maria Corazon “Cory” Cojuangco Aquino, it was an honor and a privilege to have had coffee with you!

Small Serving of Chop Suey: Student’s Digest (magazine) will devote a special issue on the life and times of Corazon Cojuangco Aquino as a tribute to her heroism and her important contribution to the restoration of democracy and freedom in the Philippines.