This contribution is significant because, I think this is why President Cory Aquino defied every advice to extend the revolutionary government and its Freedom Constitution. Instead, she rushed the crafting of a democratic Constitution. Without the cover of this new constitution, the later coup attempts would have been successful. Our soldiers could have been persuaded that a military junta was more true-to-form and less anomalous than a revolutionary government led by civilians, but which was just really held up by the military. Without the ratifying plebiscite, our peoples’ consent to EDSA I can only be argued as a reasonable conclusion and cannot be really confirmed. Military and political adventurers would have exploited this.

The greater debt to Pres. Cory is the restoration of our constitutional government ASAP, even more than her role in ousting the dictatorship. In ousting the dictator, she had popular support. Multitudes acted and contributed towards that goal. However, in shortening the life of her Revolutionary government, she was mostly alone. Most, if not all, sectors of society wanted a few more years of revolutionary government so that reforming society, recovering ill-gotten wealth, seeking accountability, obtaining justice and restoring functionality to governmental structures can be facilitated. But had this extension happened, the coups would have overran everything, anyway. General Ramos, De Villa, Biazon, et al. will have no constitutional cover to to convince the troops to respect civilian supremacy and its sitting authority. Surely, without Sen Manglapus’ insights and his strong influence on Pres. Cory, we would have suffered a different fate.

He said publicly “If rape is inevitable, relax and enjoy it,” to which many people suggested that the SOB be sent there to get sodomized.