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MANILA : Former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos said Monday she wanted a reconciliation with the family of Corazon Aquino, as the ex-president's coffin was taken on a solemn procession through Manila.
Aquino, whose husband was assassinated by the forces of dictator Ferdinand Marcos after returning home from exile in 1983, died at the weekend following a battle with cancer.
"I can feel the pain, the loss of a loved one, so I am in prayer. If these two families reconciled, there will be a miracle for the Philippines," the former first lady said on television.
The Aquino family earlier said members of the Marcos family could attend the wake for the former president, who died Saturday at the age of 76, but should not expect a warm welcome.
The youngest of Aquino's children, Kristina Bernadette Aquino, thanked Marcos for offering Sunday prayers for her mother.
"I never thought the time would come (that I would say this), but thank you to the Marcoses for really praying for mum," she said.
Marcos's aides have said the former first lady or her children may attend Aquino's wake later Monday, although there were no concrete plans.
The comments came as preparations for Aquino's funeral on Wednesday gathered pace.
An open truck carrying her coffin and decorated with yellow flowers symbolising the "People Power" revolution that swept her to power started its three-hour procession through the streets of Manila.
Traffic was at a standstill while mourners threw yellow confetti and flowers onto the cortege as it passed through the capital on its way to Manila Cathedral, where Aquino's body was to lie in state until her funeral.
Aquino will then be buried beside her husband, Benigno 'Ninoy' Aquino.
Outside the cathedral around 1,000 policemen were setting up steel barricades to contain the thousands of people expected to gather there later.
Thousands braved heavy monsoon rains over the weekend to queue up for hours to catch a glimpse of the woman fondly referred to by the public as Tita, or Auntie, Cory, as she lay in state at a Manila high-school.
Mourners from all walks of life offered silent payers and recalled fond memories of the deeply religious woman who, even in death, wore her trademark yellow dress, and clutched a rosary with a golden cross.
Many wore pins and shirts with pictures of Aquino, whose death sparked tributes from around the world.
Among those who had visited her body was Wan Azizah Ismail, the wife of Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who called Aquino a source of inspiration for Asian leaders.
Timor Leste's President Jose Ramos-Horta was also expected to view the coffin at the cathedral later Monday, friends and family said.
John Bolinao, 43, stood four hours late Sunday to see Aquino's body.
"I'm a fan of Cory. I identify with her heroism, that's why I am here to pay my last respects," said Bolinao, who joined the 1986 revolution when he was a 19-year-old student.
Patricia Patriarca meanwhile took a bus from out of town and arrived as heavy rain began to drench the crowd. "I am sad because she is gone, but happy that she is no longer in pain."
"I appreciate what she did for the poor like me," she said.
Reluctantly stepping into the shoes of her husband, Aquino in 1986 challenged Marcos in a presidential election that he won amid massive cheating.
A group of military officers subsequently turned against him, and Aquino called millions onto the streets to protect them from Marcos's troops.
This mushroomed into a massive street protest that eventually forced Marcos to flee to Hawaii, where he died in 1989.
Aquino's family rejected the offer of a state funeral from President Gloria Arroyo, who fell out with the former president over allegations of corruption in Arroyo's nine-year presidency.
- AFP/ir
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