FILIPINOS, some in yellow shirts or wearing yellow armbands, queued as early as 7 a.m. Friday, June 25, 2021, for the public viewing of the remains of former President Benigno "Noynoy" S.C. Aquino III at the Church of the Gesu inside the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City.
The Aquino family decided to hold the one-day public viewing, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, to show "appreciation for the outpouring of prayers and sympathies" for the late President.
In an advisory, the family urged those who intend to personally pay their last respects to the former President to follow the minimum public health standards against Covid-19, which include proper wearing of masks and face shields, and physical distancing.
Soldiers and members of the Aquino family brought the urn containing Aquino's remains inside the church at about 9:30 a.m. Friday.
The former President, also known as PNoy, completed his grade school, high school and college at the ADMU, earning an AB Economics degree in 1981.
Aquino, 15th President of the Philippines, died at 6:30 a.m. Thursday, June 24, due to renal disease secondary to diabetes. He had been undergoing dialysis and had made frequent trips to the hospital even before the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
His remains were brought to The Heritage Park in Taguig City shortly before 1 p.m. Thursday and cremated.
Aquino was the only son and third child of the late former senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. and the late former President Corazon "Cory" Aquino.
The yellow ribbon is the symbol of the Aquino legacy.
Inspired by the 1973 song "Tie A Yellow Ribbon," Filipinos tied yellow ribbons around trees across the country in 1983 to welcome Ninoy, who was coming home after three years of exile.
Ninoy, a staunch critic of dictator Ferdinand Marcos, was shot in the head as he stepped off the plane on August 21, 1983. His assassination sparked protests that culminated in the 1986 People Power Revolution.
The yellow ribbon became the symbol of the Filipino people's fight against oppression. It was widely used in protest rallies against the Marcos dictatorship.
Yellow ribbons were also tied around trees to show support for Cory, who was installed as President during the 1986 revolution, as she battled colon cancer. Cory passed away in 2009. (Marites Villamor-Ilano / VoxPop Philippines)