Speech before the joint
session of the US Congress
by Corazon Aquino
Group 6:
Crystal Jhoy Bundalian
Michael Robillos
Niño Horario
Background
Who is Maria Corazon Cojuangco- Aquino?
The 11th president and the first female president of
the Philippines ( Feb 25, 1986 – June 30, 1992)
Born in January 25, 1933, in Tarlac Philippines
Widow of Senator Benigno Aquino
Accredited as the “Mother of Asian Democracy”
Died in August 1, 2009 in Makati
Educational Background
Elementary ( St. Scholastica’s College, Manila)
Highschool ( Assumption College, Manila)
College Education ( College of Mount St. Vincent
in New York in 1953, with a bachelor’s degree in
both French and mathematics)
Studied Law ( Far Eastern University, Manila)
Backgroud of Cory’s Speech
Written by:
Corazon Aquino and Teodoro Locsin Jr.
Time written:
Assumed between April and September
Time delivered:
September 18, 1966
Place written:
Philippines
Place delivered:
Washington DC, U.S. Congress
Backgroud of Cory’s Speech
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
Summary of the
Content
Summary of Cory’s Speech
President Cory’s speech was been adorned by countless references to her
husband-Former Senator Ninoy Aquino. Whom the Filipino nation had
assigned as the poster boy for anti-Marcos movements. Her speech even
went so far as to connect Ninoy’s struggle with that of the whole nation
"In burying Ninoy, a whole nation honored him. By that brave and selfless act of giving
honor, a nation in shame recovered its own. A country that had lost faith in its future found it
in a faithless and brazen act of murder. So in giving, we receive, in losing we find, and out
of defeat, we snatched our victory."
Summary of Cory’s Speech
To mark a new beginning for the Filipino from the Marcos
regime.
“We have swept away absolute power by a limited revolution that respected the life and freedom of
every Filipino. Now, we are restoring full constitutional government. Again, as we restored democracy
by the ways of democracy, so are we completing the constitutional structures of our new democracy
under a constitution that already gives full respect to the Bill of Rights”
Summary of Cory’s Speech
To appeal for financial assistance by informing the Americans about the
Philippines’ state.
“Yet ours must have been the cheapest revolution ever. With little help from others, we Filipinos fulfilled
the first and most difficult conditions of the debt negotiation the full restoration of democracy and
responsible government. Elsewhere, and in other times of more stringent world economic conditions,
Marshall plans and their like were felt to be necessary companions of returning democracy.”
Summary of Cory’s Speech
She aggrandized the role of America in the world as the promoter of a
righteous system of governance and further strengthened the reputation of
the said country as a model for greatness.
“Three years ago, I said thank you, America, for the haven from oppression, and the home you gave
Ninoy, myself and our children, and for the three happiest years of our lives together. Today, I say, join
us, America, as we build a new home for democracy, another haven for the oppressed, so it may stand as
a shining testament of our two nation’s commitment to freedom.”
Summary of Cory’s Speech
The speech centers on the miserable experiences of the Aquino family,
how the family mourns about their loss and how the government threated
their family. She did not state the positive contributions of the Marcos’
administration and only focused on the negativity of his term.
Internal
Analysis(Criticis
m)
The speech is obviously biased against the Marcos and is very
positive towards Corazon’s husband Benigno.
President Corazon Aquino point outs the abuses of Marcos with his
power and how much he grapples it. 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
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. It
is inconsistent in the sense that it has too many scattered points that
leads to one simple main point which is to seek for financial aid
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
External
Analysis(Criticis
m)
• Authorship
• Date and Place of Publication
• Textual Error
• Meaning of Words Used
External Criticism
Authorship
The speech was spoken by Corazon Aquino, the first female
president of the Philippines, on the Joint Session of the U.S.
She was known for restoring the democracy in the country and
her presidency was supported by the People Power Revolution.
Her speech was written by her legal counselor and speech
writer, Teodoro L. Locsin Jr.
External Criticism
Date and Place of Publication
Delivered at Washington, D.C, on
September 18, 1986, During the joint
session of the US Congress.
External Criticism
Textual error
There was no unintentional error nor intentional error made to
modify, supplement or continue the original document. The
ideas and style match or resemble the idea and style of the
author so it can be safely assumed that they were parts of the
original manuscript and were not forged by the later ones.
External Criticism
Meaning of Words Used
• Reconciliation- restoration of friendly relations
• Holocaust- destruction or slaughter on a mass scale
• Commensurate- corresponding in size or degree; in
proportion.
• Impoverished- reduced to poverty or being poor
Conclusion
• The speech was impassioned, deeply personal and effective.
• President Corazon Aquino points out how Ferdinand Marcos
abused his power during his term.
• Also, 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.
• The main intention of President Cory Aquino is to seek for
financial aid in paying the 26 billion dollar debt..
Conclusion
• The speech is obviously biased against the Marcos
and is very positive towards Corazon’s husband
Benigno Aquino.
• The goal of the speech is first hard to identify as it
appeared as a story-telling.
Is the speech authentic or not?
YES, IT IS AUTHENTIC!
• The speech itself was delivered by a person who really encountered and was a eye-
witness of that time.
• There are evidences and documentaries that support the claims of President Corazon
Aquino.
Is the speech authentic or not?
YES, IT IS AUTHENTIC!
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 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:https://dzrhnews.com.ph/today-history-sen-ninoy-aquino=arrested-sept-22-1972/
Is the speech authentic or not?
YES, IT IS AUTHENTIC!
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 dictorship called for its doom in a snap election.
EVIDENCE: Marcos announced the snap elections on November 1985 and it was held
on February 7, 1989.
SOURCE: https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/featured/the-fall-of-the-disctorship/
Recommendations and
Relevance
Shows the importance of democracy
Strengthen bonds with other countries
Solving the root problem will encourage everything
else to inevitably fall into pieces
Informed the world regarding the challenges that
the Filipinos went through
2022 Philippines Election
Thank you for
listening
