Cory's passing is most significant death this year - TIME magazine

by SOPHIA REGINA M. DEDACE, GMANews.TV12/17/2009 03:31 PM

Her death not only brought sorrow to a nation of ninety million, it also brought grief to the world. In TIME Magazine’s yearend round-up of people who mattered in 2009, former President Corazon Aquino, Philippine democracy icon, topped the list of 45 people whose deaths created a global impact, ensuring that they would be remembered fondly.

"She (Aquino) patiently restored constitutional democracy to her country, where she died a revered figure. But her legacy was global…and she helped inspire peaceful upheavals around the world," TIME quoted US Senator Richard Lugar as saying. “She showed that one person of modest demeanor can change history."

The "Fond Farewells" list also includes CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite (No. 6), the King of Pop, Michael Jackson (No. 18), and US Senator Ted Kennedy (No. 22).

The 76-year-old Aquino passed away last Aug. 1, 2009 after months of battling colon cancer. The transfer of her casket from the La Salle Greenhills campus in Quezon City to the Manila Cathedral – a route that traversed major points in the Philippine capital – took five hours.

Hundreds of thousands supporters and well-wishers also lined the streets, braving the intense noonday heat and intermittent rains, during Cory Aquino’s funeral cortege, which took more than eight hours.

The scenes were reminiscent of the protests that culminated in the 1986 EDSA people power revolt that ended the dictatorial rule of Ferdinand Marcos and installed Mrs. Aquino to the presidency.

The outpouring of grief and affection also took place online, through the Cory Aquino tribute page set up by GMANews.TV.

The page combined live streaming video of the wake and funeral cortege with Twitter feeds and Facebook Connect, creating a "virtual wake" where Filipinos overseas were able to pay tribute to democracy icon.

'The Woman Who Changed Asia'
Only days after her she was laid to rest on August 5, Mrs. Aquino graced TIME’s cover again. The international publication’s August 17, 2009 Asian edition devoted three special reports chronicling Mrs. Aquino’s ascent to power, how she ran the Philippine government as “a miracle worker," and how people-backed, nonviolent protests across the world drew inspiration from the historic 1986 EDSA Revolution.

In 1986, Aquino was named Woman of the Year, making her the first female to receive TIME’s annual distinction after Queen Elizabeth II in 1952.

She was also recognized in 2006 as among the 60 Asian Heroes, along with Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama, Mohandas Gandhi, and fellow democracy icon, Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi.

People who mattered
Filipino boxing champ Manny Pacquiao (No. 13) was also among TIME’s the people who mattered, ranking next to US President Barack Obama (No. 12). US Federal Reserve chair Ben Bernanke was named Person of the Year for helping rein in the effects of the global economic crisis.

Pacquiao made it TIME’s Asia Edition cover last November, but his five-page feature story was published in all editions.Pacquiao and Mrs. Aquino are among the Filipino personalities – from former Presidents Manuel L. Quezon, Ramon Magsaysay, and Ferdinand Marcos, to actress Chin-Chin Gutierrez – to be featured on the cover of TIME. - GMANews.TV