PRESIDENT

Benigno Simeon“Noynoy”

Cojuangco Aquino III

The 15th President of the Republic of the Philippines, Benigno Simeon Aquino III, has come to stand for Filipinos’ reinvigorated passion to build a nation of justice, peace, and inclusive progress.

Aquino—the only son of democracy icons Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr. and President Corazon “Cory” Cojuangco-Aquino—has in different junctures throughout his life responded to the challenge of acting with and serving the Filipino people.

EARLY YEARS

President Aquino was born on Feb. 8, 1960. He was fourth of the five children of Ninoy Aquino, Jr., who was then the Vice Governor of Tarlac Province, and Cory Aquino, the former president of the Philippines.

He has four sisters, Maria Elena “Ballsy” Aquino-Cruz, Aurora Corazon “Pinky” Aquino-Abellada, Victoria Elisa “Viel” Aquino-Dee and Kristina Bernadette “Kris” Aquino.

He attended Ateneo de Manila in Quezon City for his elementary, high school and college education. He graduated in 1981 with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics.

Aquino’s classmates remember him as a “quiet” yet “friendly” student.  Gene Manalastas, a batch mate in grade school, said: “He could not go to parties with us on weekends because he was always visiting his dad in prison.”

His father, then a senator and opposition leader to President Ferdinand Marcos, was incarcerated after the declaration of Martial Law in September 1972.

In confinement, the senator wrote his son a letter, asking him to continue the family legacy of working for the good the every Filipino:

“The only advice I can give you: Live with honor and follow your conscience.

There is no greater nation on earth than our Motherland. No greater people than our own. Serve them with all your heart, with all your might and with all your strength.

Son, the ball is now in your hands.”

In 1980, his father was allowed after a series of heart attacks to receive medical treatment in the United States. Aquino joined the family in a period of self-exile.

In 1983 after the assassination of his father, he returned from exile to the country to help show the way for the EDSA People Power Revolution—the nonviolent and prayerful revolution by ordinary people that toppled a dictatorship and restored Philippine democracy.

AFTER EDSA REVOLUTION

Following his return to the Philippines, Aquino served as assistant of the Executive Director of the Philippine Business of Social Progress, an institution that coordinates the efforts of private companies to help struggling Filipinos.

He was also Assistant Retail Sales Supervisor of Mondragon Philippines, and was the Assistant Promotions Manager of Nike Philippines.

Aquino continued to work in the private sector even during the presidency of his mother. He  was  the Vice President of the Intra-Strata Assurance Corporation all through her term.

In August 28, 1987, Aquino was wounded by five bullets when rebel soldiers assaulted Malacañan Palace in an unsuccessful coup attempt.  One of the bullets remains embedded in Aquino’s neck—an enduring reminder of the sacrifices one must make to defend democracy.

THE PUBLIC SERVANT

“I will be there because of the people and I will stay there because of the people and hopefully, I will be true to my word to serve the people.”

-Benigno Simeon Cojuanco Aquino III

In 1998, Aquino entered public service to make sure that the democracy his parents fought for would bring changes in people’s lives.

Congressional Career

He served as the Representative of the 2nd District of Tarlac, (from 1998-2007) and legislator in the House of Representatives, he worked to pass a number of bills and resolutions to uphold public accountability and address the people’s pressing concerns. These include the following:

Granting annual productivity incentives to all workers in the private sector.

House Bill No. 4251

House Bill No. 4397Strengthening the regulatory power of the Department of Trade and Industry to effectively enforce consumer laws.

Increasing the penalties for non-compliance of the prescribed increases and adjustments in the wage rates of workers.

House Bill No. 3616

House Bill No. 4252

Extending the period for the educational qualification for the Philippine National Police.

providing for the codification of criminal laws.

House Bill No. 1842

House Resolution No. 65Inquiry in aid of legislation into the policies and processes of the Energy Regulatory Commission in granting rate increases to electric utilities.

creates a Congressional Oversight Committee to check and study the use of intelligence funds by government agencies.

House Resolution No. 788

Aquino served as Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. He, however, relinquished the post after calling for the resignation of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo when the Hello Garci Scandal was exposed.

Senatorial Career

In May 2007, he joined the Philippine Senate, wherein he worked to bring about legislative initiatives anchored on the protection of human rights and honest and responsible governance.

He spent long hours examining the General Appropriations Act of 2009, and proposed key amendments to make sure that public funds were prudently spent. Aquino vigorously participated in Senate investigations on the abuses of government officials, and fought for justice for victims of human rights violations.

Aquino, then chairperson of the Senate Committee on Local Government, introduced substantial amendments to the Cooperative Code to make it more responsive to the needs of the people for which the code was enacted.

Among his proposed measures were: Senate Bill 2035, which seeks to raise standards in the construction of all public infrastructures by penalizing contractors of defective infrastructures; and Senate Bill 2160, which seeks the amendment of Government Procurement Act.

Although Aquino was elected president before these bills were passed into law, his efforts to make sure that government acts to bring about fairer outcomes for all Filipinos continue today.

AQUINO’S DESPONDENT DAY

(2009)

The most despondent days perhaps in Aquino’s life took place in 2009 when his mother passed away from cancer after suffering for nearly a year. 

Cory’s demise prompted mourning from all over the country. And yet it also awakened a remembrance of the values she stood for. It stirred up the people’s yearning for a leadership that is honest and compassionate, and a nation that trusts and works with its government.

2010 PRESIDENTIAL

CAMPAIGN

Immediately after Cory’s wake, people began to call on Aquino, urging him to run for presidency in the 2010 elections to continue his parents’ work. Signature drives and an outpouring of support through yellow ribbons and stickers went full blast, convincing him to run.

Moreover, candidates for president such as Senator Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, Pampanga Governor Eddie Panlilio, and Isabela Governor Grace Padaca gave up their presidential aspirations to support Aquino.

After a spiritual retreat at the Carmellite Monastery in Zamboanga City, Aquino responded to the call to make the people’s passion for change the driving force behind a new government.

On September 9, 2009, the 40th day after former president Cory Aquino’s passing, he officially announced his candidacy for president at the Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan—where his mother took oath on the final day of the EDSA People Power Revolution. 

“I want to make democracy work not just for the rich and well connected but for everybody,”

-Noynoy Aquino

Almost two weeks later, Roxas pledged to run alongside Aquino as the Liberal Party standard-bearer for vice-president. The Aquino and Roxas filed their respective certificates of candidacy for President and Vice-president on November 28, 2009.

During the 2010 presidential election, held on May 10, 2010, in unofficial tallies, conducted by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) and the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), Aquino was the leading candidate in tallied votes for President, and in the official Congressional canvass, Aquino was the leading candidate in canvassed votes for President

On June 9, 2010, the Congress of the Philippines proclaimed Aquino as the President Elect of the Philippines.

“We are here to serve and not to Lord over you. The mandate given to me was one of change. I accept your marching orders to transform our government from one that is self-serving to one that works for the welfare of the nation.”

-PNoy on his Inaugural Address (June 30, 2010)

PRESIDENCY

The Presidency of Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III began at noon on June 30, 2010, when he became the 15th President of the Philippines, succeeding Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Fourth-youngest president after Emilio Aguinaldo, Ramon Magsaysay and Ferdinand Marcos.

First president to be a bachelor, being unmarried and having no children.

Second president not to drink alcoholic beverages; the first president not to drink alcohol was Emilio Aguinaldo.

Aquino is the:

Eighth president to be a smoker.First graduate of Ateneo de Manila University to become president.

Third president who will only hold office in Malacañan Palace, but not be a resident, following Corazon Aquino and Fidel V. Ramos.

First president to make Bahay Pangarap his official residence

Aquino is the:

Third president to use his second given name, Simeon, as his middle initial, as Manuel L. Quezon and José P. Laurel did (Like his grandfather and father used his second name as well).

Second president to be a child of a former president (Former President Corazon Aquino).

First president to be a former student of a former president (Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the daughter of former President Diosdado Macapagal).

Aquino is the:

PRESIDENT BENIGNO S. AQUINO III

Platform of Government

From government policies influenced by well-connected private interests to a leadership that executes all the laws of the land with impartiality an d decisiveness.

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.

Economy

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 .

From a government that dampens private initiative and enterprise to a government that creates conditions conducive to the growth and competitiveness of private businesses, in big, medium and small.

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.

From Presidential appointees chosen mainly out of political accommodation to discerning selection based on integrity , competence and performance in serving the public good.

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.

Government Service

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.

Gender Equality

From a disjointed, short-sighted Mindanao policy that merely reacts to events and incidents to one that seeks a broadly supported just peace and will redress decades of neglect of the Moro and other peoples of Mindanao.

Peace & Order

From allowing environmental blight to spoil our cities, where both the rich and the poor bear with congestion and urban decay to planning alter native, inclusive urban developments where people of varying income levels are integrated in productive, healthy and safe communities.

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.

Environment

Domestic Policies

Regulating the use of sirens, bells, whistles, horns and other similar devices only to motor vehicles designated for the use of the President, Vice President, Senate President, House Speaker, Chief Justice, Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, National Bureau of Investigation, Land Transportation Office, Bureau of Fire Protection and ambulances.

No ‘wang-wang’ policy

On June 29, 2010, Aquino announced the formation of a truth commission that will investigate various issues including corruption allegations against outgoing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Aquino named former Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Jr. to head the truth commission.

Formation of a Truth Commission

On July 30, 2010, Aquino signed Executive Order No. 1, creating the Truth Commission. The commission is tasked to investigate various anomalies and issues including graft and corruption allegations against the past administration, government officials and their accomplices in the private sector during the last nine years.

Executive orders

On August 4, 2010, Aquino implemented Executive Order No. 2, signed on July 30, 2010, ordering the immediate removal of all midnight appointments made by the previous administration for violating the 60-day constitutional ban on presidential appointments before a national election.

Executive orders

On August 6, 2010, Aquino implemented Executive Order No. 3, signed on July 30, 2010, an executive order revoking Executive Order No. 883, signed by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on May 28, 2010, that automatically promoted lawyers in government executive service to the rank of Career Executive Service Officer III (CESO III).

Executive orders

On August 9, 2010, Aquino implemented Executive Order No. 4, signed on July 30, 2010, reorganizing and renaming the Office of the Press Secretary as the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), and creating the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office (PCDSPO).

Executive orders

On September 1, 2010, Aquino implemented Executive Order No. 5, signed on August 25, 2010, an executive order amending Executive Order No. 594, signed by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on December 20, 2006, stating the rules governing the appointment or designation and conduct of special envoys. Executive Order No. 5 prevents special envoys from using the title "ambassador".

Executive orders

On September 2, 2010, Aquino signed Executive Order No. 6, extending the duration of the operations of the Presidential Middle East Preparedness Committee (PMEPC) to December 30, 2010.

Executive orders

On September 8, 2010, Aquino signed Executive Order No. 7, ordering the suspension of all allowances, bonuses and incentives of board members of government-owned and-controlled corporations (GOCCs) and government financial institutions (GFIs) until December 31, 2010

Executive orders

On September 9, 2010, Aquino signed Executive Order No. 8, reorganizing and renaming the Build-Operate and Transfer Center (BOT) to the Public-Private Partnership Center (PPP) and transferring its attachment from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

Executive orders

On October 1, 2010, Aquino signed Executive Order No. 9, amending Section 1 of Executive Order No. 67, signed by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on January 22, 2002, and reorganizing the Presidential Commission on the Visiting Forces Agreement created under Executive Order No. 199, signed by former President Joseph Estrada on January 17, 2000.

Executive orders

On October 2, 2010, Aquino signed Executive Order No. 10, declaring October 2, 2010 as the Nationwide Philhealth Registration Day (NPRD) and directing the Department of Health (DOH) to lead concerned government agencies to facilitate the nationwide Philhealth registration.

Executive orders

On November 8, 2010, Aquino signed Executive Order No. 11, transferring the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to the Office of the President.

Executive orders

On November 9, 2010, Aquino signed Executive Order No. 12, delegating to the Executive Secretary the power to approve compromises or releases of any interest, penalty or civil liability to the Social Security System (SSS) pursuant to Section 4(6) of Republic Act No. 8282, otherwise known as the Social Security Act of 1997.

Executive orders

On November 15, 2010, Aquino signed Executive Order No. 13, abolishing the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC) and transferring its investigative, adjudicatory and recommendatory functions to the Office of the Deputy Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs and the Office of the President.

Executive orders

On November 19, 2010, Aquino signed Executive Order No. 14, transferring the control and supervision of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) from the Department of Health (DOH) to the Office of the President.

Executive orders

On December 9, 2010, Aquino signed Executive Order No. 18, abolishing agencies under the Office of the President such as the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Global Warming and Climate Change.

Executive orders

On December 20, 2010, Aquino signed Executive Order No. 15, granting combat allowance to uniformed members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) who are directly involved in combat operations against members of National Security Threat Groups.

Executive orders

On December 21, 2010, Aquino signed Executive Order No. 16, extending the term of the SOCCSKSARGEN Area Development Office (ADPO) from January 2010 to December 2016.

On December 22, 2010, Aquino signed Executive Order No. 17, forming the EDSA People Power Commission, designated to organize the nationwide celebrations commemorating the 25th anniversary of the 1986 People Power Revolution.

Executive orders

On December 30, 2010, Aquino signed Executive Order No. 19, extending the suspension of the grant of allowances and other incentives to members of the Board of Directors/Trustees of Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCCs) and Government Financial Institutions (GFIs).

Executive orders

On January 6, 2011, Aquino signed Executive Order No. 20, extending the duration of operation of the Presidential Middle East Preparedness Committee (PMECC), led by Special Envoy Roy Cimatu, to June 30, 2011.

Executive orders

On January 14, 2011, Aquino signed Executive Orders No. 21 and 22, reducing the rate of import duty on milling wheat, cement and cement clinker to zero under Section 104 of the Presidential Decree No. 1464, otherwise as the Tariff and Customs Code of 1978.

Executive orders

On February 1, 2011, Aquino signed Executive Order No. 23, declaring a moratorium on the cutting and harvesting of timber in the natural and residual forests and creating the Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force.

Executive orders

On February 10, 2011, Aquino signed Executive Order No. 24, which prescribed rules to govern the compensation of members of the Board of Directors/Trustees in Government-Owned Controlled Corporations (GOCCs) and Government Financial Institutions (GFIs).

Executive orders

On February 24, 2011, Aquino signed Executive Order No. 26, declaring the implementation of a National Greening Program (NGP). The NGP will plant some 1.5 billion trees covering about 1.5 million hectares for a period of six years, from 2011 to 2016.

Executive orders

On February 28, 2011, Aquino signed Executive Order No. 27, implementing the reduction of real property taxes and interest/penalties assessed on the power generation facilities of independent power producers under build-operate transfer contracts with Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations in Quezon.

Executive orders

On March 14, 2011, Aquino signed Executive Order No. 28, reorganizing the Single Negotiating Panel into the Philippine Air Negotiating Panel and the Philippine Air Consultation Panel, mandated by the Philippine government's Domestic and International Civil Aviation Liberalization Policy.

Executive orders

On March 14, 2011, Aquino signed Executive Order No. 29, authorizing the Civil Aeronautics Board and the Philippine Air Panels to "pursue more aggressively" the International Civil Aviation Liberalization Policy.

Executive orders

On March 14, 2011, Aquino also signed Executive Order No. 30, transferring the Land Registration Authority (LRA) from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Executive orders

On August 14, 2010, Aquino directed the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to fully implement Executive Order No. 255, issued on July 25, 1987 by former President Corazon Aquino, requiring all radio stations to broadcast a minimum of four original Filipino musical compositions every hour.

Hourly broadcast of original Filipino musical compositions on radio

On August 16, 2010, Aquino launches his official presidential website. The presidential website's aim is to create communication between Aquino and the people, getting feedback from the people, telling Aquino their woes and grievances.

(http://www.president.gov.ph)

Launch of official presidential website

On July 14, 2010, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) called an emergency meeting in Camp Aguinaldo to assess the damage caused by Typhoon Basyang. Aquino attended the meeting to obtain information on the damage caused by Typhoon Basyang and to personally monitor the repair and recovery work in the aftermath of the typhoon.

PAGASA ‘Reorientation

During Aquino's first State of the Nation Address (SONA), Aquino announced his intention to reform the education system in the Philippines by shifting to K–12 education, a 12-year basic education cycle.

Education reform

On September 30, 2010, Bishop Nereo Odchimar of Tandag, head of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), said that Aquino might face excommunication from the Catholic Church for supporting the Reproductive Health Bill, the plan to distribute and give Filipino couples the choice to use contraceptives for artificial birth control.

However, despite the possibility of excommunication, Aquino said that he is not changing his position on contraceptive use. In January 2013, Aquino signed legislation which funds contraceptives for poor individuals; the law has been challenged in the Philippine Supreme Court.

Reproductive health

Foreign Policies

On September 20, 2010, Aquino delivered his departure statement at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), before leaving for his first official trip to the United States.

First official trip to the United States

On September 22, 2010, Aquino delivered his speech during the Citibank Economic Conference in New York City.

Citibank Economic Conference

On September 23, 2010, Aquino delivered his extemporaneous remarks during a meeting with the Filipino community at Baruch College in New York City.

Meeting with the Filipino community in the United States

On September 23, 2010, Aquino delivered his remarks at the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) compact agreement signing ceremony at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. The US$434-million MCC compact agreement will fund the Aquino administration's various programs on poverty reduction, revenue generation, and infrastructure development.

Millennium Challenge Corporation

On September 24, 2010, Aquino had a seven-minute one-on-one talk with President of the United States Barack Obama during the 2nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-US Leaders Meeting at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.

During the meeting, Aquino recognized the United States’ commitment to reinvigorating its relationship with the region and its individual nations at a time of ever-increasing complexity in global affairs.

Statement before the 65th United Nations General Assembly

On October 26, 2010, Aquino delivered his departure statement at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), before leaving for his first official trip to Vietnam.

First official trip to Vietnam

On October 26, 2010, Aquino met with President of Vietnam Nguyễn Minh Triết at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, Vietnam. Aquino and Triết signed four memorandum of agreement on four areas of cooperation, namely, higher education, defense, oil spill preparedness and response, and search and rescue at sea.

Meeting with the President and Prime Minister of Vietnam

On October 27, 2010, Aquino delivered his extemporaneous remarks during a meeting with the Filipino community in Vietnam.

Meeting with the Filipino community in Vietnam

On October 28, 2010, Aquino delivered his statement during the ASEAN Leaders’ Retreat in Hanoi, Vietnam. On October 29, 2010, Aquino delivered his statements during the 13th ASEAN-Japan Summit, 13th ASEAN-Republic of Korea Summit, 13th ASEAN-China Summit, 13th ASEAN Plus Three Summit, and 3rd ASEAN-UN Summit in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Statements during the ASEAN Summits in Vietnam

On November 11, 2010, Aquino delivered his departure statement at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), before leaving for his first official trip to Japan for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Yokohama, Japan.

First official trip to Japan

On November 12, 2010, Aquino delivered his speech during the APEC CEO Summit in Yokohama, Japan.

APEC CEO Summit

On November 14, 2010, Aquino delivered his statement during the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting Retreat in Yokohama, Japan.

APEC Economic Leaders Meeting Retreat

Criticisms

A protest gimmick in the form of a neologism that Aquino's critics have used to question his work ethic, alleging his inaction on the issues of disaster response and rising oil prices. A play on the term planking and Aquino's nickname, Noynoying involves posing in a lazy manner, such as sitting idly while resting their heads on one hand, and doing nothing.

Noynoying