Maria Corazon "Cory" Cojuangco Aquino (January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a President of the Philippines and a world-renowned advocate of democracy, peace, women’s empowerment, and religious piety. She served as the 11th president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. She was the first female president of the Philippines and was Asia’s first female president.
Death of Corazon Aquino
Aquino died of cardiopulmonary arrest after complications of colon cancer at the age of 76 on August 1, 2009, 3:18 a.m., at the Makati Medical Center. Aquino was diagnosed with the disease in March 2008 but kept up public appearances this year. A devout Catholic, she was a regular at weekend mass until shortly before being admitted to hospital in late June.
"Our mother peacefully passed away at 3:18 a.m. (1918 GMT Friday) of cardio-respiratory arrest," her son, Senator Benigno Aquino III, told reporters in Manila.
Corazon Aquino’s Achievements on next page
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Awards and Achievements
1986 Time Magazine Woman of the Year
1986 Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award
1986 United Nations Silver Medal
1986 Canadian International Prize for Freedom
1986 Nobel Peace Prize nominee
1986 International Democracy Award from the International Association of Political Consultants
1987 Prize For Freedom Award from Liberal International
1993 Special Peace Award from the Aurora Aragon Quezon Peace Awards Foundation and Concerned Women of the Philippines
1994 One of 100 Women Who Shaped World History (by G.M. Rolka, Bluewood Books, San Francisco, CA)
1995 Path to Peace Award
1996 J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding from the U.S. Department of State
1998 Ramon Magsaysay Award for International Understanding
1998 Pearl S. Buck Award
1999 One of Time Magazine’s 20 Most Influential Asians of the 20th Century
2001 World Citizenship Award
2005 David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership Awards
2005 One of the World’s Elite Women Who Make a Difference by the International Women’s Forum Hall of Fame
2006 One of Time Magazine’s 65 Asian Heroes
2008 One of A Different View’s 15 Champions of World Democracy
EWC Asia Pacific Community Building Award
Women’s International Center International Leadership Living Legacy Award
Martin Luther King Jr. Nonviolent Peace Prize
United Nations Development Fund for Women Noel Award for Political Leadership
Honorary doctorates
Doctor of International Relations, honoris causa, from:
Boston University
Eastern University
Fordham University
Waseda University in Tokyo
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, from:
University of the Philippines
University of Santo Tomas in Manila
Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, from:
Ateneo de Manila University
College of Mount Saint Vincent in New York
Xavier University (Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines)
Doctor of Humanities, honoris causa, from:
San Beda College in Manila, 2000
Seattle University, 2002
Stonehill College in Massachusetts
University of Oregon, 1995