Written by Rapa Lopa
TRUTH-TELLING TIME
The real story behind Cory Aquino and the Carmelites from Cory Aquino herself from an excerpt in the book To Love Another Day:
"The rally in Cebu that Saturday, February 22, was held in the afternoon. Then, at about six in the evening, Belinda Cunanan, a columnist told me some stunning news. She had just talked to Eggie Apostol, publisher of Mr. and Ms, magazine and Philippine Daily Inquirer, who told her that [Juan Ponce] Enrile and Eddie Ramos were holed up at Camp Aguinaldo, where they had taken refuge to escape from [President Ferdinand] Marcos. Marcos had discovered that there was a coup plot against him. General [Fabian] Ver then arrested one or two of the supposed conspirators, who confessed on television that they, together with Enrile and the Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM), were going to stage the coup. Enrile and Eddie Ramos had been found out and had to flee to Camp Aguinaldo. There, Enrile later confessed on television that the ambush attempt on him, which Marcos had used to justify martial law, had been staged. It was a hoax, and Marcos was in on it.
I could not believe it at first, until we verified the news. Then I was able to talk to Enrile about two hours later. I asked him how he was and he sounded very nervous. I told him that there was not much I could do except pray for him, and he said that they certainly were in need of prayers. Butz [Aquino]was apparently one of the first to give his support to Enrile and Ramos and had asked the members of ATOM to go to Camp Aguinaldo to show their support for them.
I was staying with the Quisumbings in Cebu, and I was told that I should move elsewhere because Marcos and his men knew I was there. Monching said that the American Embassy had a Navy boat docked in the area and thought that I could ask the consul general if I could seek shelter there. The American consul general did invite me, but I declined.
I decided that I would go to the Carmelite Convent, instead, where I could pray and the nuns could pray for us as well. Because we had to move in secret, I asked Tony Cuenco to drive for us. I also asked Nancy, his wife, to lend me a dress because I only had a yellow one, which would make me look very conspicuous.
Kris [Aquino] and I, together with Tony, Nancy, and Peping [Cojuangco], proceeded to the convent. When we got there, the nuns reassuringly told me not to worry because the Marcos forces would have to kill them first before they would allow them to get to us. It did feel very much like we were in The Sound of Music!
The nuns told me this was the first time they allowed men to enter and even sleep in the convent, although I doubt very much if Peping and Tony were able to sleep at all. I, at least, was able to get two or three hours of restful sleep. When I went down at about six in the morning, Monching and the others were already there. Apparently, they had been banging at the gates since very early in the morning. But the nuns, true to their word, did not let them in, thinking they might be the enemy!
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