By 
This interview was done at the height of (now President) Benigno Aquino III's presidential campaign. First published in February 2010, we are re-publishing this in full as Ballsy's story still stands today.
-----------------------------------
Miracle is defined as "an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause." For Ma. Elena "Ballsy" Aquino-Cruz, that was what February 25, 1986 was all about.It was two weeks after the snap elections, which was marred by massive fraud and violence, when Ballsy received a call from her mother, former president Corazon Aquino.
"We were in Times St. while my mom, my husband, and Kris were in Cebu. And then mom called us, talking in codes. She said she already talked to [Juan Ponce] Enrile and [Fidel] Ramos," Ballsy, the eldest of the Aquino siblings, said as she recalled the events that happened in 1986 to Yahoo! Southeast Asia.
Aquino, who would become president, asked Ballsy to move out of their Times St. residence and seek refuge at a relative’s house.
"I had a baby then, Jiggy. He was just a few months and you know you had a baby with all the diapers...my biggest problem was he. It was hard moving around with a baby but we had to move out," said Ballsy. At that point, she knew something was going to happen. Millions of people were going to EDSA for three straight days, following the defection of Enrile, then defense minister, and Ramos, head of the Philippine Constabulary.
Amid threats of a civil war, the Aquino family saw that fear had no place.
"Actually inside us, we were really excited about it. [We thought] maybe this is the miracle we’ve been praying for,” she said.
Under martial law, nobody thought that rosaries and prayers could defeat tanks and high-powered firearms.
"Mom doesn’t want violent means. She wanted peaceful means to show not just disgust, not just your anger but your opposition," said Ballsy.
Road to freedom
Just after two years since Ballsy’s father, Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., was fatally shot in the head upon his return from years of exile in the U.S., Cory was urged to run against the incumbent Ferdinand Marcos.
"The four of us were saying, 'Oh no mom, talagang desisyon hindi na mapapalitan?' The four of us elders didn’t want to. But [my sister] Kris said, 'Go for it mom, kaya mo yan, kakayanin natin yan.'"
"We still tried to talk Mom out of it. We told her, 'Mom, dapat ibang pamilya naman, tayo na naman? Haven’t we suffered enough that dad already died,' and then she explained that you know, 'we’re luckier than 90 percent of the people, of our kababayans. Kailangan naman we should give back,'" Ballsy said.
Aquino ran but the Commission on Elections declared Marcos the winner, which sparked public outrage that led to the first People Power revolution.
The presidency
After a three-day protest in EDSA, Aquino took her oath as President of the Philippines at Club Filipino, while the Marcoses fled to Hawaii.
As Filipinos rejoiced with news of a new-found freedom and the fall of the dictatorship, Ballsy admitted that everything at that point was a blur.
"There was no celebration. Everything was just happening so fast. Bigla nalang nasa Club Filipino na to take her oath. I don't remember any celebration. It’s the feeling you can't buy by having a big party, celebrating, ordering all the good food. It is the feeling of being one with the people. We were so happy that finally, after 20 years of the dictatorship the country was free,” Ballsy said beaming.
"People were having so much fun and [there was so much] merriment in the streets. Everything was just so fast. It was really different and one of a kind,” she added.
Looking back, Ballsy said she knew that the People Power was God’s answer to all their prayers.
"When my mom decided to run, I couldn’t even pray for her to win kasi sabi ko kung mananalo ang hirap naman talaga nun, lahat ng problemang mamamana niya. Ayoko din matalo siyang naghihirap but then even if we felt that her running really needed a miracle for her to win, the prayer was always, 'Dear Lord it’s up to you, Bahala ka na. Your will be done,'" said Ballsy.
Months after the revolt, Ballsy said they had to face the hardest part of all: living in the Palace and trying to live up to the public’s expectations.
"When mom finally became president, she said what she wanted was to become the exact opposite of Marcos. So that was always in our minds: the exact opposite. If they were lavish, let’s be simple. If there were kurakot [corrupt], then let’s be really honest. Let’s not make people even doubt us," she said.
Ballsy said they moved to Malacanang months after Aquino took her oath, out of fear there were "landmines" in the Palace.
Aquino lived in Times St. and held office in Makati. She later moved to the Palace but faced seven coup attempts led by some of the same officers who helped her secure power.
"Of course when we were there, [we received] all the flak and all. You know there are times I felt ‘yung ibang sinabi about the Marcoses hindi na rin totoo e or baka exaggerated na because were already doing our best, trying to behave as good as we could and still there were many articles written about us, ang dami pang batikos sa radio," Ballsy lamented.
Despite all these difficulties, Cory finished her term, bravely and without any tears.
“No never. My mom was always calm and then when they talk about her inner courage, I think they hit the right words," Ballsy said when asked if she ever saw her mom cry.
"It’s really her spirit that is so brave. And then she always says my dad brought out the best in her and that martial law really made them better persons," added Ballsy.
44 comments