Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Cojuangco Aquino III (born February 8, 1960) is a Senator of the Philippines and a candidate for President of the Philippines in the 2010 election, intending to represent the Liberal Party. He is the only son of former President Corazon Aquino and Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. A graduate of Ateneo de Manila University, he was seriously wounded by rebel soldiers in a failed coup attempt during his mother’s presidency. In 1998, he was elected to the House of Representatives as Representative of the 2nd district of Tarlac province in the 11th Congress of the Philippines; he was reelected twice, eventually becoming Deputy Speaker. In 2007, he was elected to the Senate of the 14th Congress of the Philippines. He is also the brother of TV host and actress Kris Aquino. Early life and education Benigno Aquino III was born on February 8, 1960. He is one of five children of Benigno Aquino, Jr., who was then Vice Governor of Tarlac province, and Corazon Aquino. He has four sisters, Maria Elena (“Ballsy”), Aurora Corazon (“Pinky”), Victoria Eliza (“Viel”), and Kristina Bernadette (“Kris”). Aquino studied in Ateneo de Manila University for his elementary, high school, and college education, graduating in 1981 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. After college, he joined his family in Boston in exile. In 1983, shortly after the murder of his father, Noynoy had a short tenure as a member of the Philippine Business for Social Progress. From 1985 to 1986, he was retail sales supervisor and youth promotions assistant for Nike Philippines and later an assistant for advertising and promotion for Mondragon Philippines. In 1986, he joined Intra-Strata Assurance Corp. as vice-president of the family-owned corporation. On August 28, 1987, eighteen months into the presidency of Aquino’s mother, rebel soldiers led by Gregorio Honasan staged an unsuccessful coup attempt, attempting to siege Malacañang Palace. Aquino was two blocks from the palace when he came under fire. Three of his four security escorts were killed, and the last was wounded protecting him. Aquino himself was hit by five bullets, one of which is still embedded in his neck. From 1986 to 1993, Aquino was vice president and treasurer for Best Security Agency Corporation, a firm owned by his uncle Anolin Oreta. He went to work for the Central Azucarera de Tarlac in 1993, the sugar refinery owned by the Cojuangco clan. He started out as an executive assistant for administration, before becoming field services manager in 1996. Political life Aquino is a leading member of the Liberal Party. He currently holds the position of Vice Chairman of the Liberal Party, having assumed the post on 17 March 2006. He was previously Secretary General of the party (1999-2002), Vice-President of the Luzon Liberal Party (2002-2004), and Secretary General of the party (2004-16 March 2006). Aquino is associated with a faction of the Liberal Party which opposes the government of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, citing alleged human rights violations. House of Representatives Aquino was elected to the House of Representatives in 1998, representing the 2nd District of Tarlac. He won re-election in 2001 and 2004, and served until 2007. Aquino served on numerous committees as a member of Congress: the Public Order and Security, Transportation and Communications, Agriculture, Banks and Financial Intermediaries, Peoples’ Participation, Suffrage and Electoral Reforms, Appropriations, Natural Resources, and Trade and Industry committees (11th Congress), the Civil, Political and Human Rights, Good Government, Public Order and Security, Inter-Parliamentary Relations and Diplomacy committees (12th Congress), and the Banks and Financial Intermediaries, Energy, Export Promotion, Public Order and Safety committees (13th Congress). Aquino was also Deputy Speaker from November 8, 2004 to February 21, 2006. One of Aquino’s key legislative initiatives was to make requiring the procurement of the petroleum, oil and lubricants requirements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines to be done by public bidding. Senate Barred by term limits from seeking a fourth term as the Representative for the second district of Tarlac province, Aquino was elected to the Senate in the May 14, 2007 midterm elections under the banner of the Genuine Opposition (GO), a coalition comprising a number of parties, including his own Liberal Party, seeking curb attempts by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to amend the Constitution. In his political ads, he was endorsed by younger sister, TV host Kris Aquino, and mother, former President Corazon Aquino. Although a devout Roman Catholic, he was endorsed by one of the largest Protestant churches in the Philippines, the Jesus is Lord. With more than 14.3 million votes, Aquino’s tally was the sixth highest of the 37 candidates for the 12 vacant seats elected from the nation at large. He assumed his new office on June 30, 2007. During the campaign, Aquino reached out to his former enemy, Senator Gregorio Honasan, supporting his application for bail. “I endorse Honasan’s request for bail para parehas ang laban. I was hit by bullets from Honasan’s men in the neck and hips but that’s past now. The principle of my father was, ‘ Respect the rights even of your enemies.’ Ito ang nagpatingkad ng demokrasya. Genuine reconciliation is democracy in action,” Aquino told Job Tabada of Cebu Daily News on 5 March 2007. He was referring to two bloody coup attempts against his mother in 1987 and 1989, in the first of which Aquino was seriously injured. 2010 election plans In the Liberal Party, Aquino has held various positions such as Secretary General and Vice President for Luzon. He is currently the LP Vice-Chairman. After the death of President Corazon Aquino, calls for him to run for higher office reached its highest and he has decided after the retreat that he would run as a candidate for Presidency at the 2010 elections. A group of lawyers and activists formed the NAPM — the Noynoy for President Movement — and a nationwide campaign led by the son of the late influential businessman Chino Roces began to collect a million signatures in order to persuade Aquino to run for President. In the last weekend of August, Senator Aquino and his fellow partymate in the Liberal Party, Senator Mar Roxas and an unnamed presidential aspirant commenced days of talks to decide what to do for next year’s elections. On September 1, 2009, in a press conference at the Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan City, Senator Roxas, a leading candidate for the Liberal Party nomination announced his withdrawal in the presidential race and expressed his support for Aquino’s candidacy. Sen. Aquino later stood side by side Sen. Roxas, but did not make a public statement on the said press conference. On September 9, 2009, 40 days after the death of his mother, Aquino officially announced his bid for the Presidency in a press conference at the Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan City, which also served as the site of his mother’s Presidential Inauguration in 1986. [quote]Noynoy Aquino Personal Profile Political Party: Liberal Party Hometown: Manila Short Description: TANGGALIN ANG TIWALI, ITAMA ANG MALI. “Corruption is the single biggest threat to our democracy. It deprives the poor of the social services they badly need. I destroys the very moral fiber of our society. No reform agenda will succeed without a determined program to eradicate corruption.” Civil Status: Single Gender: Male Nationality: Filipino Birthday: February 08, 1960 Profession: Politician Religion: Roman Catholic About Senator Noynoy Aquino III It is in his bloodline. It is his heritage. For him, democracy restored must be enshrined without fear but with greatest fervor. It is second nature to Senator Benigno “Noynoy” S. Aquino III to be both a fiscalizer, who relentlessly espouse public accountability, and a staunch advocate of liberal democracy. His key legislative initiatives are anchored on the protection of human rights and good governance through increased transparency and public accountability. These are founded on the democratic ideals championed by his parents, former Senator and martyr Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr. and former President Corazon Aquino. A true working democracy, he says, makes possible not only political freedoms but a better life for all Filipinos. It must be able to provide jobs, education, social services and equitable economic prosperity for everyone, not just the rich, privileged few. The defense of democracy nearly cost Senator Aquino his life. He was almost killed during the military coup against President Aquino in 1990 when he met retreating rogue soldiers at the front gates of Malacañang. Three of his bodyguards died while he suffered five bullet wounds. A bullet is still embedded in his neck. Senator Aquino served as Congressman of the 2nd District of Tarlac from 1998 to 2007. In 2004, he was stripped of his prestigious post as Deputy House Speaker for Luzon after he joined leaders of the Liberal Party (LP) in calling for the resignation of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at the height of the “Hello Garci” scandal. In May 2007, he ran for Senator and won, placing 6th in the national elections. As Senator in the 14th Congress, he chairs the Senate Committee on Local Government. In the LP, Senator Aquino held various positions such as Secretary General and Vice Chairman. He is now the party’s official standard bearer for the 2010 Presidential election with Mar Roxas as his running mate. Noynoy is a graduate of Economics at the Ateneo de Manila University. He fancies Chinese food and is a shooting and billiards enthusiast.[/quote] [quote]PLATFORM OF SENATOR NOYNOY S. AQUINO III A National Leadership in Need of Transformational Change • Its legitimacy is under question; • It persecutes those who expose the truth about its illegitimacy and corruption; • It stays in power by corrupting individuals and institutions; • It confuses the people with half-truths and outright lies; • It rewards, rather than punishes, wrongdoing; • It offers no lasting solutions for the many problems of the country; • It weakens the democratic institutions that hold our leaders accountable. • It hinders our local governments from delivering basic services; • It has no vision of governance beyond political survival and selfenrichment. A People Crying out for Change • Corruption robs our children of their protection, nutrition and education. • Corruption destroys our families and communities. • Corruption steals from our farmers and workers. • Corruption deters businessmen from investing in our economy. This has eroded our spirit as individuals, as communities, as a people. • We have lost trust in the democratic institutions we so courageously re-established after the dictatorship. • Our proven capacity for collective outrage and righteous resistance has been weakened. • We have ceased to depend on the patriotism and civic engagement that used to animate many of our efforts. • We have become divided and alienated, focusing only on ourselves and on our individual pursuits. • Our moral faculties as a people have been paralyzed. • We have retreated into a dark world of self-absorption and cynicism. Our collective despair has reached its lowest point. Then finally, the gift of Light Cory Aquino passed on to the next life. From our sadness, we awakened to a shaft of light cutting through the darkness. She left the Filipinos a legacy of selfless love for country and people. Filipinos’ connection with each other was rekindled. In death, she enabled us to hope again for decent government. The millions who connected with Cory at her funeral represented something more than euphoria, sentiment or transient emotions. They represented the reverent memory of a good leader in the past and the firm hope of having a similarly good leader in the future. A People’s Campaign of Renewed Hope… • Anchored on Ninoy’s and Cory’s legacy of change through the ways of democracy • Embraces the qualities of integrity, humility and trust-worthiness in public leadership • Recognizes the absence of these qualities in government as a major cause of widespread poverty, misery and despair. The Vision for the Philippines: A country with… 1. A re-awakened sense of right and wrong, through the living examples of our highest leaders; 2. An organized and widely-shared rapid expansion of our economy through a government dedicated to honing and mobilizing our people’s skills and energies as well as the responsible harnessing of our natural resources; 3. A collective belief that doing the right thing does not only make sense morally, but translates into economic value as well; 4. Public institutions rebuilt on the strong solidarity of our society and its communities. Our Mission: We will start to make these changes first in ourselves—by doing the right things, by giving value to excellence and integrity and rejecting mediocrity and dishonesty, and by giving priority to others over ourselves. We will make these changes across many aspects of our national life. A Commitment to Transformational Leadership: 1. From a President who tolerates corruption – to a President who is the nation’s first and most determined fighter of corruption. 2. From a government that merely conjures economic growth statistics that our people know to be unreal – to a government that prioritizes jobs that empower the people and provide them with opportunities to rise above poverty. 3. From relegating education to just one of many concerns – to making education the central strategy for investing in our people, reducing poverty and building national competitiveness. 4. From treating health as just another area for political patronage – to recognizing the advancement and protection of public health, which includes responsible parenthood, as key measures of good governance. 5. From justice that money and connections can buy – to a truly impartial system of institutions that deliver equal justice to rich or poor. Economy 6. From government policies influenced by well-connected private interests – to a leadership that executes all the laws of the land with impartiality and decisiveness. 7. From treating the rural economy as just a source of problems, - to recognizing farms and rural enterprises as vital to achieving food security and more equitable economic growth, worthy of re-investment for sustained productivity. 8. From government anti-poverty programs that instill a dole-out mentality – to well-considered programs that build capacity and create opportunity among the poor and the marginalized in the country. 9. From a government that dampens private initiative and enterprise – to a government that creates conditions conducive to the growth and competitiveness of private businesses, big, medium and small. 10. From a government that treats its people as an export commodity and a means to earn foreign exchange, disregarding the social cost to Filipino families – to a government that creates jobs at home, so that working abroad will be a choice rather than a necessity; and when its citizens do choose to become OFWs, their welfare and protection will still be the government’s priority. Government Service 11. From Presidential appointees chosen mainly out of political accommodation – to discerning selection based on integrity, competence and performance in serving the public good. 12. From demoralized but dedicated civil servants, military and police personnel destined for failure and frustration due to inadequate operational support – to professional, motivated and energized bureaucracies with adequate means to perform their public service missions. Gender Equality 13. From a lack of concern for gender disparities and shortfalls, to the promotion of equal gender opportunity in all spheres of public policies and programs. Peace and Order 14. From a disjointed, short-sighted Mindanao policy that merely reacts to events and incidents – to one that seeks a broadlysupported just peace and will redress decades of neglect of the Moro and other peoples of Mindanao. Environment 15. From allowing environmental blight to spoil our cities, where both the rich and the poor bear with congestion and urban decay – to planning alternative, inclusive urban developments where people of varying income levels are integrated in productive, healthy and safe communities. 16. From a government obsessed with exploiting the country for immediate gains to the detriment of its environment – to a government that will encourage sustainable use of resources to benefit the present and future generations. This platform is a commitment to change that Filipinos can depend on. With trust in their leaders, everyone can work and build a greater future together.[/quote]

Last edited by sherovin (2010-07-05 11:55:00)