For Ballsy Aquino-Cruz, eldest of Cory and Ninoy, God chose their only brother, Noynoy, to be the first of five siblings to join their parents in death, because he was the one who continued the two democracy icons' unfinished business.
Before the former president was finally laid to rest on Saturday, Aquino-Cruz remembered her brother one last time, thanking him for taking on the huge responsibility of looking after their family upon their father's death -- a fulfillment of the martyred senator's last request from his only son.
"Si Noy, ayaw niya talaga na maging pabigat siya. Ayaw niya na kami'y nag-aalala at ayaw niya na hindi kami nakakatulog nang dahil sa pag-iisip sa kanya. Tinupad niya yung pangako niya sa aming ama nung siya ay nakakulong sa Fort [Magsaysay sa] Laur, Nueva Ecija," Aquino-Cruz said.
"Sinuwerte kami na naging mga anak kami ni Ninoy at Cory. Pero gusto naming magpasalamat sa mga nagmahal kay Noy kahit hindi niyo siya kamag-anak o kadugo," she said.
"Si Noy ay pinili ng ating mahal na Ama na mauna sa lahat na makapiling ulit ng aming mga magulang kasi siya ang nagpatuloy ng kanilang mga hindi natapos," she added.
Nobody ever is prepared for death, Aquino-Cruz said in her eulogy opening, comparing her brother's sudden passing to that of their parents.
"Masakit mawalan ng magulang. What gave us comfort when we lost our dad was that our mom kept telling us, 'God was so generous. Dad was given a hero's death, the kind of death that would profoundly change the history of our nation'," she shared.
When they found out their matriarch had stage four cancer, Ballsy said her mother "fought hard" even when she was ready to go.
"Lumaban siya maski handa na siya dahil alam niya na hindi pa kami handa. She had told us that, 'Your dad was taken so suddenly from the five of you. I knew you needed the time so I gave it my all'," she said.
For her brother's turn, Aquino-Cruz said she could only wish that like his decision to run for president, Noynoy, at the end of his life, had been able to think and pray it all through.
"Noy, sana kagaya nung nagdesisyon ka na tatakbo ka para maging presidente, na sinabi mo sa amin, tayong lima lang yun sa loob ng van ni Kris noon. 'Napag-isipan mo na lahat, napagdasalan mo na'," she said, recalling how their full support for him to run, was a fulfillment of another promise to their mother: how as the eldest, she'd make sure they will all be there for each other.
"Ngayon, nabutas na ang aming pagsasamahan. Nawala na yung gitna. Hindi na uli kaming magiging kumpleto..To the man we were so blessed to have as our brother, habambuhay ka naming ipagmamalaki, pasasalamatan, hahanap-hanapin, at ipagmamalaki," she said in tears.
"At sa inyong lahat, mga boss ni Noy, maraming-maraming salamat po."
