- Presentation of Credentials
- Ms. Earth España
- Mass Offering for former President Cory Aquino
- Elcano Landing
- Philippine Nurses in Bilbao
- Donation of the Image of Our Lady of Fatima
- The Philippines in ABC & La Vanguardia
Philippine Embassy in Madrid offered a Mass for
ex-President Cory Aquino
Madrid, 03 August 2009. Ambassador Ana I. de Sequera-Ugarte and the staff of Madrid PE offered a mass for ex-President Cory Aquino at the Nuestra Señora del Pino parish church on 02 August 2009 at 5:30 PM.
Fr. Rodante Abegonia, SVD, celebrated the mass. After the mass proper, the ambassador delivered a message to the Filipino community on the late president. (Please read the message below.) A copy of the ambassador’s message is attached for reference. Many Filipinos who attended the mass signed the condolence book brought by Madrid PE. The condolence book for the Filipino community was also placed at the reception area of the consular section.
The Embassy informed the Spanish government, the diplomatic corps and the international organizations about the ten-day mourning of the Philippine government and also indicated the schedule of the signing of the condolence book.
Ambassador Ana I. de Sequera-Ugarte (center) together with members of the Filipino community in Madrid after the mass offered in memory of the late President Cory Aquino last 02 August 2009.
MESSAGE OF AMBASSADOR ANA I. SEQUERA-UGARTE
ON THE DEATH OF FORMER PRESIDENT CORY AQUINO
Nuestra Señora del Pino parish church (Madrid), 5:30 PM, 02 August 2009
My dear kababayans,
We have been expecting it for months but the inevitable is still painful to accept. We knew that our beloved former President Cory Aquino has been suffering from colon cancer. She knew the gravity of her illness but she fought bravely to get well. Millions of Filipinos, including those overseas like us, prayed for her recovery. But she finally succumbed to death yesterday.
Cory Aquino is a towering figure in our country’s recent history. She was the first women to become president of the Philippines. She proved to the world that a woman and a plain housewife could preside over a traditionally male-oriented society. She was the beacon of democracy when the country was slowly recovering from years of dictatorship. She was the symbol of the new Philippines. She was an inspiring figure not just for the Philippines but also for the whole world with her courage and determination.
She presided over a divided a nation yet she united the diverse political and social forces of the country to marshal them toward a democratic path. She managed to restore the democratic institutions – the Congress, the Supreme Court, the free press, the release of political prisoners, etc. - that made the Philippines a role model for many countries that were hungry for political freedom and democracy in the late 1980s.
The Aquino Administration however faced many political setbacks and socio-economic challenges and was even in the brink of being overthrown by a military coup. Yet despite all of these, Cory Aquino remained firm and unfazed. She believed in the Filipino. She believed that our country is worth dying for just like what her late husband, Ninoy Aquino, used to say. She fostered reconciliation and always took a non-violent and Christian view in confronting the challenges of her office.
Today we deeply mourn her death, especially for those of us who personally knew and interacted with President Cory when she was still alive. We honor her memory. We pay tribute to her legacy. We thank her for all the things and sacrifices that she did for the country and for the Filipino people. We convey to the Aquino family our heartfelt condolence. We pray for the eternal repose of her soul. May she rest in peace.
Thank you.