The former president of the Philippines Corazon Aquino has been hospitalized after doctors confirmed that she had colon cancer, Aquino's family said Monday.
Kris Aquino, the daughter of the former president, said her 74-year-old mother was "experiencing high blood pressure, difficulty of breathing and notable loss of weight" before she took a medical checkup last week that diagnosed her with colon cancer.
Kris, a popular television host and actress, said the family decided to break the news by issuing a public statement because the family still believes the power of communal prayers and wants the public and media to respect Aquino's privacy.
According to the national television network ABS-CBN News, colon cancer is the 3rd leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the country.
Aquino, widow of the late opposition Sen. Benigno Aquino, Jr., was elected in 1986 as the country's first woman president, largely due to the public outcry invoked over her husband's assassination.
Senator Aquino's death also prompted the country's first and well remembered "People Power" revolution that topples the 14-yearauthorization rule of strongman president Ferdinando Marcos.
Though she finished her presidential term in 1992, Aquino has never actually quitted the public affairs. She has been active in various movements, the latest being a large scale demonstration to demand encumber president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's resignation over corruption scandals.
Source:Xinhua
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