Why we missed the Nobel Prize for Cory

We appreciate the commentary of Oscar Arias (former president of Costa Rica and Nobel Peace Prize laureate), which came out on March 30, 2022.

But you may not be aware that it was his peace plan concerning three countries that made us miss the Nobel award for President Cory Aquino in 1987.

The February 1986 peaceful revolution made us miss the application with the Feb. 28, 1986 deadline, and postpone our candidacy to 1987.

The undersigned spent one year preparing the file, which was quite substantial.

First, we had the backing of many previous awardees, Lech Walesa, Desmond Tutu, Irish, Catholic, Protestant girls, (whom we had difficulty tracing in the US).

Backing of parliaments, we got Mrs. Simone Veil for the European Parliament, and universities, historical and cultural departments, Notre Dame, the US, etc.

In the end, when Mrs. Aquino was informed, she asked our friend Raul Manglapus, who was secretary of foreign affairs, to assist.

We had an impressive file, but came out second to President Arias, with a very slim backing, but his peace plan concerned three Central American countries, while we were concerned with one country—the reason why we lost. As far as we know unofficially, we came out second; there are some 300 candidates yearly.

It is too bad nobody took up the case to try the following year, possibly with a better chance. We certainly had solid grounds as Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi.

W-A MIAILHE DE BURGH
bmh@tri-isys.com