“I don't think I would have become President if my mother was around,” President Benigno C. Aquino III said in paying tribute to his well-loved mother, the so-called “Icon of Philippine Democracy” whose death a year ago is remembered today.

“I would have just fulfilled my duties as Senator of the Republic,” Aquino added in an interview after the unveiling of his mother's giant photo mosaic at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila on Saturday.

Aquino said his mother being “the leader, the inspiration, and the guide” of Filipinos was a big loss for the country.

“So how do you rally everybody to the cause and the people if they are not united? I guess God really has very good plans for all of us so and this was a necessary step leading to the triumph of the people in the last elections,” he related.

The Chief Executive said he does not see the need to get out of the shadows of his parents, especially his mother whose death triggered calls for him to run as President in the May, 2010 polls. Aquino's father was the late Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.

“I think what I’ve always stated is that I am continuing the fight that both of them have rendered for the people. So why is there a need to reinvent the will, why is there a need to digress and diverge from what they were fighting for? What they were fighting for was right so I don’t see a need to move away from anything that they have fought for and if I failed in comparison to them, it’s fine with me as long as the end result is that their aspirations are achieved,” he said.

In his speech, Aquino on behalf of his family extended his “sincere thanks to everyone who participated in this photo mosaic project.”

“I hope we do not disappoint the representatives from the Guinness Book of World Records who are here to witness this tribute by the people to our mother, former President Cory Aquino," Aquino said referring to the 250 x 200 ft photo mosaic composed of 3,200 photos of the late President captured by photojournalist Revoli Cortez.

“When she passed away almost a year ago, I must admit that, at first, I was a bit concerned that public support for the principles that she stood for had waned over the years. Did they feel that their struggle for truth, justice, and freedom was still relevant to them? After her passing, who would continue the good fight?” Aquino said.

“However, I was more than reassured that the record numbers that flocked to the La Salle, Manila Cathedral, and the Manila Memorial Park to pay tribute to her and what she stood for. As we said, during our final goodbye when the nation joined us, it was an expression of tremendous love we did not expect – thousands of people patiently waiting in line, enduring hunger and fatigue, marching long distances, and coming together to escort her to her final resting place,” he added.

Aquino said “beyond expressing sympathy, it was a resurgence of hope and a realization that each of us has a role in alleviating our common burden. This mosaic of photographs is a symbol of that hope.”