MANILA, Philippines — Former President Corazon Aquino, who swept away a dictator with a “people power” revolt and sustained democracy by fighting off seven coup attempts in six years, died today, her son said. She was 76.
The uprising she led in 1986 ended the repressive 20-year regime of Ferdinand Marcos and inspired nonviolent protests across the globe, including those that ended Communist rule in Eastern Europe.
But she struggled in office to meet high public expectations.
Her land redistribution program fell short of ending economic domination by the landed elite, including her own family. Her leadership, especially in social and economic reform, was indecisive, leaving many of her closest allies disillusioned by the end of her term.
Still, the bespectacled, smiling woman remained beloved in the Philippines, where she was affectionately referred to as “Tita (Auntie) Cory.”
Aquino was diagnosed with advanced colon cancer last year. Her son, Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, said the cancer had spread to other organs and she was too weak to continue her chemotherapy.
Aquino’s rise began in 1983 when her husband, opposition leader Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., was assassinated as he returned from exile in the United States to challenge Marcos, his longtime adversary.
The killing enraged many Filipinos and unleashed a broad-based opposition movement that eventually thrust Aquino into the role of the Philippines’ first female leader.
She took pride in restoring democratic institutions that had been gutted under Marcos’ rule, and she presided over a series of relatively free elections, the dismantling of monopolies and an initial spurt of economic growth. Her term also was punctuated by repeated coup attempts — most staged by the same clique of officers who had risen up against Marcos and thought they had been denied their fair share of power.
