Funerals are always a reflection of, and a tribute to how a person lived. They say the number of people who come to pay you their last respects is an indication of the kind of human being you were.
SPOT.ph lists down ten most-attended funerals in the Philippines, where collective mourning and sorrow take on a whole new meaning.
1. Corazon "Cory" Aquino
An ABS-CBN news report says police estimated close to 300,000 people took to the streets for the funeral cortege for former President Corazon "Cory" Aquino yesterday, in what was one of the most well-attended funerals in Philippine history. Declared a special non-working holiday, more than 1,000 government officials, diplomats, priests, family members and friends gathered for her funeral mass. Aquino, who lost her battle with colon cancer at 76, was offered a state funeral but her family turned the offer down, opting for a private funeral.
Reminiscent of the anti-Marcos protests that Aquino led, the cortege left the Manila Cathedral at around 11:30 a.m. and continued for eight hours, amidst rain and throngs of people, and was laid to rest beside her husband's grave at 8:20 p.m.
2. Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr.
Former Tarlac governor and Philippine Senator Ninoy Aquino's funeral following his assassination upon returning home from exile in the United States, was held on August 31, 1983, ten days after his death. The funeral procession lasted from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., with a funeral mass celebrated by Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin held at the Santo Domingo Church.
Two million people were reported to have lined the streets to join the procession to Manila Memorial Park, where the opposition leader was laid to rest.
