And I will never forget arriving in Manila and seeing this unbelievable flood of people in thestreets all decked out in their canary yellow shirts and banners of pro-democracy protest.Some of us knew at that time there were allegations of fraud. I was sent down initially toMindanao to observe the morning votes and then came back to Manila, and was sitting in thehotel there when a woman came up to me crying and said, “Senator, you must come with me tothe cathedral. There are women there who fear for their lives.”
And I left my dinner and I ran down to the cathedral. I came in to the Sacristi of thecathedral and talked with these 13 women who were crying and huddled together, intimidatedfor their lives. And I listened to their story about how they were counting the raw tally of thevotes that was coming in from all across the nation, but the raw tally of votes they werecounting was not showing up on the computer tote board recording the votes. They blew thewhistle on a dictator. We held an international press conference right there in the cathedralright in front of the alter, and they spoke out, and that was the signal to Marcos it was over.Their courage and the courage of the Filipino people lit a spark that traveled throughout theworld, inspiring not just a freshman senator from Massachusetts, but popular movementsfrom Eastern Europe to Burma.
Now, I think about that moment even today, about the power of people to make their voicesfelt. I think about how Cory Aquino rose to the presidency atop a wave of people power whenfew believed that she could. I think about how her husband fought for democracy, even at thecost of his own life. And I think about how, decades later, their son would rise to the presidencyin democratic elections. In his inaugural address, President Benigno Aquino said: “Myparents sought nothing less, died for nothing less, than democracy and peace. I am blessed bythis legacy. I shall carry the torch forward.”
My friends, today we must all summon up some of that courage, we must all carry that torchforward. The cause of democracy and peace, and the prosperity that they bring, can bringour legacy in the Asian Pacific, it can define it. Our commitment to that future, believe me itis strong. Our principles are just. And we are in this for the long haul – clear-eyed about thechallenges ahead.
Thank you. (Applause.)