Political overtones surround Aquino funeral

MANILA, Aug. 5 — Recalling the "people power" outpourings she inspired two decades ago, more than 100,000 people thronged the streets of Manila as the body of former President Corazon C. Aquino was driven slowly through swirling winds and rain for burial on Wednesday.

For five days after Mrs. Aquino, 76, died of cancer early Saturday, crowds of mourners converged on her coffin as it passed through the streets and lay in state at Manila Cathedral.

The banners, the tears, the clouds of yellow confetti and the familiar chant of her name — "Cory! Cory! Cory!" — went beyond mourning to political statement, as the Philippines continues to wrestle with the democratic processes she restored when she came to power in 1986.

Among the many banners with slogans like "Auntie Cory we love you" were those with political messages like "Cory, a symbol of clean politics" and "Continue the fight against tyranny."

"It is a political movement coming alive again to deliver a signal: Don't tamper with that legacy," said Amando Doronila, a veteran journalist and columnist.

"It demonstrated that people power is still a force," he said in an interview. "Follow the rules, don't overstay the limit, and when the time comes, just go quietly."

As the current president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, nears the end of her term next year, a hot issue here is whether her allies will succeed in extending her stay by amending the Constitution adopted under Mrs. Aquino in 1987. Since the time of Ferdinand E. Marcos, whom Mrs. Aquino ousted as president after his 20 years of rule, Mrs. Aquino is the only president to have ended her term without trying to extend it through constitutional change.