Corazon Aquino

The passing a pioneer in Asia, the first female president in the Philippines and in the same league as first female Asian prime ministers such as Indira Gandhi or Benazir Bhutto or Tansu Çiller.

Corazon did not bring about stable and better social, economic and political changes as remarked by Marites Vitug. She did however, influence her countrymen and countrywomen with her humanity. Almost all the subsequent presidents of Philippines wanted her stamp of approval since she represented someone free of corruption and scandal. Her country seems to have a longer way to go since ALL of her successors had at one point or another be suspected or tainted by political wrongdoings.

It seems Philippines is still stuck in the post-Marcos era. Only when the number of haves and have-nots redistribute significantly in this country, will there be real progress made.

She might also be a barometer test for all the overseas Chinese with political ambition. She was more at ease than the former Canadian figurehead "head-of-state" Adrienne Clarkson who did not even dare to land on Chinese soil during or after her tenure. Mrs Aquino visited China when she was president of the Philippines. Although one could always stipulate, as a head of state of a developing nation, her meeting with China's Deng Xiao Ping, the leader of a emerging power in Asia back then, was a nothing-to-lost but everything-to-gain situation for her country. Nevertheless, apart from the Singaporean prime ministers who visited China, she was the only head of state with Chinese roots who was not ashamed of her origins.
Steven Chu or Gary Locke wouldn't even come close in 2009, let alone they are not regional, provincial or national heads when they visited China. I bet you, without looking at the various Chinese language press in the United States that gave big fuzz about it. Oh, com'on (Chinese) Americans, make up your mind. You can't be both, just look at Obama.