Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III confirmed Friday that his mother, former President Corazon Aquino, is scheduled to undergo surgery next week to remove cancer cells from her colon.

The senator said his mother's doctor will be doing some medical procedures before performing the actual surgery.

"It has a complicated name, I think its laparoscopic surgery on the colon," he told ABS-CBN. He added that his mother's decision showed that she is getting better.

Laparoscopic colon surgery is done by making small incisions on the abdomen compared to larger incisions needed in traditional surgical procedures. A laparoscope (a tiny telescope attached to a video camera) is inserted into one of the openings, allowing the surgeon to see inside the abdomen. Instruments are inserted through the other openings and are used to remove the diseased section of the colon and reattach the healthy segments.

The procedure usually lasts about two to three hours.

The Aquino family first revealed the former president's condition on March 24, 2008. Aquino underwent chemotherapy, and in public remarks made on May 13, 2008, she announced that blood tests indicate she is responding positively to the medical treatment.

Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay on Friday urged the public to pray for former president Aquino to have a successful operation.

Binay, who was appointed by Mrs. Aquino as officer-in-charge of Makati immediately after the February 1986 Revolution, said the former president has been "a moral symbol for the nation. "
 
"I urge everyone to offer their prayers for former President Corazon Aquino. She has given our country and our people so much, especially during those times when we needed a moral symbol," he said in a press statement.
 
"Our prayers will be a simple yet meaningful gesture of gratitude," he said.
 
A prayer crusade for the former president was launched in a Mass at the Saint Joseph the Worker Parish in Balanga, Bataan Friday.

To be led by Balanga Bishop Socrates Villegas, the launch coincided with the feast of Saint Joseph the worker.

The prayer crusade, which will last until May 13, the feast of Our Lady of Fatima, will consist of praying the twenty mysteries of the holy rosary and receiving Holy Communion within the days mentioned.

Villegas said the faithful should pray for the recovery of Cory using the rosary as this is a very powerful instrument.

“By the power of the rosary, we won our freedom at EDSA in 1986. By the power of the same rosary, let us ask for the total healing and full cure of her who was a symbol of God’s blessings for the Philippines,” he said in a statement.

“I personally know how devoted President Cory is to the rosary and Our Lady of Fatima. Let this prayer crusade be our expression of love for her and our expression of faith in the Lord,” said Villegas.

He also also urged the faithful to be more charitable to the poor.