MANILA, PHILIPPINES - Military officers involved in some of the coup attempts against the late Philippine president Corazon Aquino on Tuesday paid tribute to their one-time foe, praising her bravery in the face of gunfire.

Aquino's quiet resolve and unflinching courage, coupled with her steadfast belief that everything could be resolved with dialogue, were among the reasons why threats against her government failed, they said.

"It was hard not to like Cory," said retired navy commodore Rex Robles, who as a young colonel was among a group of officers who turned against Aquino after her "people power" revolution toppled dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.

Robles recalled that in one of the coup attempts that he co-led with ex-colonel and now Senator Gregorio Honasan, he and his fellow officers wavered at the last minute.

"I asked Greg, if we manage to penetrate Malacanang (presidential palace), what do we do with her? If she extends her hand and tells us she wants to talk to us, what do we do then?" Robles said.

"We would surely lose, Greg said, because all of us would readily surrender to her," he said.

"Her aura was her armour. You couldn't possibly hurt her. She was well mannered and she was very sincere," he said. "She was brave in a very quiet way."

Honasan would later be captured, but given amnesty.

Aquino died on Saturday aged 76 after a long battle with cancer. She is to be buried Wednesday, and tens of thousands turned up on Manila streets to greet her cortege as it was taken to the city cathedral.

Thousands more continued to patiently line up outside the church Tuesday to view her body ahead of a funeral service to be attended by dignitaries, including Washington's envoy to Manila.

Marine Colonel Ariel Querubin, who helped lead a coup against Aquino in 1989, said in a statement: "She braved the night and the anti-riot police to be one with the people in prayer."

"Through the years I have learned to admire her bravery and courage very much. She was brave up to her final moments," said Querubin, detained in connection with a failed 2006 coup against President Gloria Arroyo.

Two of Marcos' senior aides defected in February 1986 after he beat Aquino in elections marred by massive cheating.

Aquino called her supporters onto the streets to protect them, giving birth to her "people power" revolution that sent the strongman and his family packing for exile in Hawaii, where he died three years later.

Aquino established a transition government, overhauled the electoral process, released political detainees and instituted democratic reforms.

But problems would later arise in her coalition government, and restive junior military officers, including Honasan and Robles, tried to overthrow her.

Robles, now a mining consultant and a security analyst, said he first met Aquino two months before the revolution that swept her to power.

"She just looked like an ordinary lady. She did not dress particularly well. She was plain looking but well groomed," Robles said.

Brigadier General Danilo Lim, who as a captain joined Honasan in one of the bloodiest attempts to oust Aquino in 1989, said while he has "had an uneasy history" with Aquino as president, she would be remembered as a "guiding light" of democracy.

Lim, now detained along with Querubin in connection with the 2006 coup attempt against Arroyo, said Aquino's "quiet but steadfast belief in God" made her a powerful message of hope to this nation of 90 million.