Mourners at Zamboanga monastery recall hope Aquino imparted Jun 27, 2021 1:38 PM PHT Frencie Carreon As the evening grew darker and the 10 pm Zamboanga curfew drew close, people rushed to the monastery along Roseller T. Lim Boulevard to offer individual prayers. The visitors recalled how Aquino had finalized his decision to run for president during a retreat inside this monastery in 2009. HANDS. Then senator Benigno Simeon Aquino III shakes hands with nuns at the Carmelite Discalced Sisters monastery in Zamboanga City in 2009. Photo by Anton Lim Anton Lim Zamboanga, dubbed the "City of Flowers," was true to its name that day. The flowers offered were mostly fresh chrysanthemums from the city's florists and cutflower farms. They were mostly yellow, the color associated with the Aquino family since the '80s.