page_title: Death and funeral of Corazon Aquino
section_title: Requiem Mass and funeral
hierarchical_section_title: Death and funeral of Corazon Aquino / Wake and funeral / Requiem Mass and funeral
caption_attribution_description: English: Former Philippine President Corazon Aquino's grave is next to her husband Ninoy Aquino's at the Manila Memorial Park in Sucat, Paranaque, Philippines
context_page_description: Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino, the eleventh President of the Philippines, died on August 1, 2009 at the Makati Medical Center in Makati of cardiorespiratory arrest after being in hospital since June 2009, and was first diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2008.
  The Aquino family declined an invitation by government to grant the former president a state funeral. Her funeral was held on August 5, 2009, and her body was buried at the Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque. She is the first woman and the second President and layman after Carlos P. García to have their wake at the Manila Cathedral.
context_section_description: The Requiem Mass for Aquino was held on August 5, and was officiated by then-Balanga Bishop Socrates Villegas with then-Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, along with more than a dozen other bishops and priests. Jesuit priest Fr. Catalino Arevalo, Aquino's personal friend and spiritual adviser delivered the homily.
  José Mari Chan sang the poem Ninoy wrote for Cory, "I Have Fallen In Love," as Aquino's casket was borne up the nave of the Cathedral. Other songs and hymns performed in tribute were "Sa 'Yo Lamang" (For You Alone) by Piolo Pascual; "The Lord's Prayer" by Erik Santos; "The Impossible Dream" by Jed Madela; and "Pangako" (Promise) by Ogie Alcasid. Martin Nievera and Regine Velasquez performed a duet of "The Prayer", while Sarah Geronimo sang the People Power Revolution anthem "Magkaisa" ("Unite"); "Your Heart Today" by Filipina singer Maria Teresa Abellare Llamedo Cruzata aka Dulce; "Hindi Kita Malilimutan" ("I Will Never Forget You") by Zsa Zsa Padilla; and "Bayan Ko" ("My Country") by Lea Salonga. The artists later joined the APO Hiking Society in singing another song from the 1986 People Power Revolution, "Handog ng Pilipino sa Mundo" ("The Gift of Filipinos to the World"). The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra provided musical accompaniment for the service.
  Aquino's flag-draped casket paused at the steps of Manila Cathedral for departure honours, after which a brass band performed four ruffles and flourishes and the national anthem. It was then mounted onto a flatbed track – similar to the one used for her husband's funeral a quarter century before – that was decked in white and yellow flowers arranged in an eight-rayed sunburst evoking the national flag. An honour guard of servicemen from the four branches of the Armed Forces – Army, Navy, Air Force, and the Marines – stood vigil as the truck-hearse made its way around Plaza Roma fronting the Cathedral, escorted by throngs of mourners.
  The funeral process then exited Intramuros at Anda Circle and travelled along Roxas Boulevard, with the flag flying from Independence Flagpole at Luneta lowered to half staff in imitation of her husband's own funeral procession. The hearse made its way down Quirino Avenue and the South Luzon Expressway, pausing briefly before the Ninoy Aquino Monument in Makati where crowds sang Bayan Ko and scattered yellow confetti, which was also done during anti-Marcos protests and her 1985 presidential campaign.
  Aquino's casket arrived at the Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque, eight hours after leaving the Cathedral. Her immediate family and close associates rode in a caravan of 13 coaches, while mourners and supporters in black and yellow marched beside the hearse and lined the route, chanting her name and flashing the Laban sign ("fight" made by holding the thumb and forefinger at right angles to form an "L"). The crowd that lined the funeral route that passed through Manila, Makati, Pasay, and Parañaque was estimated to be between 1 and 5 people.
  When the cortege reached Manila Memorial, Aquino was given full military honors, with a two-star general acting as military host and eight, one-star generals as pallbearers. As is customary for a former Commander-in-Chief of the forces, her casket was transferred to a horse-drawn gun carriage for the short trip to the family's mausoleum where her husband Ninoy is interred.
  Attendance at the burial were originally restricted to Aquino's family and close friends, but the crowd broke through the security barriers after the last of the convoy's coaches entered the gates of Manila Memorial. Though the crowd was inside the memorial park, they maintained a respectful distance from the mausoleum.
  Bishop Socrates Villegas and Rev Catalino Arévalo, SJ gave the final blessing, and as per the family's request, the casket was opened one last time. The plate glass was removed, and after the priests and the Aquino siblings sprinkled the former president's body with holy water, family members queued to give her a parting kiss. The casket was then sealed, the flag was removed, and a final military s
caption: Corazon Aquino was buried beside her husband Ninoy at the Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque, Philippines.
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