Death and funeral of Corazon Aquino

Death and funeral of
Corazón Aquino

Aquino's flag-draped casket borne on a flatbed truck during the funeral procession. This was intentionally modelled after the funeral of her husband, Benigno, a quarter century before.
Date	August 1–5, 2009
Location	Philippines
Participants	People of the Philippines
Outcome	National day of mourning and funeral procession Candidacy and subsequent election of Senator Benigno Aquino III in the 2010 election as President of the Philippines

The death of Corazón Cojuangco-Aquino, eleventh President of the Philippines, occurred on August 1, 2009 at the Makati Medical Center in Makati. Aquino died of cardiorespiratory arrest after being in hospital from June 2009, and was first diagnosed with colorectal cancer in March 2008.

The Aquino family declined an invitation by government to grant the former President a state funeral. Her funeral was held on August 5, 2009, and her body was buried at the Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque. She is the first woman and the second President and layman after Carlos P. García to have their wake at the Manila Cathedral.

In December 2007, Aquino experienced periodic fluctuations of blood pressure, difficulty in breathing, hair loss, loss of appetite and a remarkable drop in weight. Some days after, her physician informed the Aquino family that she had colorectal cancer, and by mid-March 2008, she confided the nature of her disease to a close friend, Rev Catalino Arévalo.

On March 24, 2008, her youngest daughter, television presenter and actress Kris Aquino, disclosed that her mother was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. In a televised announcement, she said that her mother began to experience cancer symptoms before 2008, difficulty in breathing, persistent cough and loss of appetite. Her only brother, then-senator Benigno Aquino III, was at her side as she made the announcement. Kris also said that the March 19 result of her mother's biopsy revealed the disease was primarily due to adenocarcinoma, where the cancer started on colon glands. Her spokesperson, Deedee Sytangco, said that her colon cancer was at stage four prior to discovery. While she had initially been informed by physicians that she had only three months to live, Mme. Aquino pursued chemotherapy.