Abby Connolly
It’s so interesting to learn about women who were “firsts” in history. For example, do you know who the first female president of the Philippines was?
Her name was Corazon Aquino, and she went on quite a journey to make her place in history.
Corazon was born in Paniqui, Tarlac, in the Philippines, in 1933. She was born into a wealthy family that owned a sugar plantation. Corazon moved to the United States for high school and attended the College of Mount St. Vincent in New York City.
She received her major in French and minored in mathematics in 1953.
After graduating from college, Corazon returned to the Philippines and met her husband, Benigno Aquino Jr., while attending law school at Far Eastern University. She eventually dropped out and married Benigno in 1954. They had five children together.
Benigno was a politician and a member of the liberal party. In 1961, he was elected as the youngest governor in the country and eventually became a senator to the Senate of the Philippines in 1967.
Corazon supported her husband and mostly stayed in the background and raised their children during his campaigns.
Benigno was a strong critic of President Ferdinand Marcos, who declared martial law in the Philippines in 1972, which allowed him to stay in power. During this time, he had Benigno arrested.
United States President Jimmy Carter requested that Corazon, Benigno, and their family be released into medical exile in America in 1980. They lived in Boston for three years. In 1983, Benigno returned to the Philippines by himself and was tragically assassinated.
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