BIOGRAPHY RESEARCH

BENIGNO “NINOY” AQUINO JR.

EARLY LIFE
Benigno Simeón Aquino Jr. was born
in Concepcion, Tarlac, on November 27, 1932,
to Benigno Servillano Quiambao Aquino Sr. and
half-cousin, Aurora Lampa Aquino, (from half-
uncle Agapito de los Santos Aquino) a prosperous
family of hacenderos, the original owners of
Hacienda Maling, Hacienda Sawang and
Hacienda Murcia.
His grandfather, Servillano Aquino, was a
general in the revolutionary army of Emilio
Aguinaldo, the officially recognized first President
of the Philippines.
He received his elementary education
at De La Salle College and finished at Saint
Joseph's College of Quezon City. He completed
his high school education at San Beda College.
Aquino took his tertiary education at Ateneo de
Manila to obtain a Bachelor of Arts degree, but he
interrupted his studies. According to one of his
biographies, he considered himself to be an
average student; his grade was not in the line of
90s nor did it fall into the 70s. At age 17, he was the youngest war correspondent to
cover the Korean War for The Manila Times of Don Joaquín "Chino" Roces. Because of
his journalistic feats, he received the Philippine Legion of Honor award from President
Elpidio Quirino at age 18. At 21, he became a close adviser to then Defense
Secretary Ramon Magsaysay. Aquino took up law at the University of the Philippines,
where he became a member of Upsilon Sigma Phi, the same fraternity as Ferdinand
Marcos. He interrupted his studies again however to pursue a career in journalism.
According to Máximo Soliven, Aquino "later 'explained' that he had decided to go to as
many schools as possible, so that he could make as many new friends as possible." In
early 1954, he was appointed by President Ramon Magsaysay, his wedding sponsor to
his 1953 wedding at the Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Pasay with Corazon
Cojuangco, to act as personal emissary to Luis Taruc, leader of the Hukbalahap rebel
group. After four months of negotiations, he was credited for Taruc's unconditional
surrender and was given a second Philippine Legion of Honor award with the degree of
Commander on October 14, 1954.
He became mayor of Concepcion in 1955 at the age of 22.
FAMILY LIFE
His father was a general in the revolutionary army of Emilio Aguinaldo, and his
father was a member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines.
On October 11, 1954, he married Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco, with
whom he had five children:
 Maria Elena (Ballsy, born August 18, 1955), married to Eldon Cruz, with sons
Justin Benigno (Jiggy) and Eldon Jr. (Jonty)
 Aurora Corazon (Pinky, born December 27, 1957), married to Manuel Abellada,
with son Miguel and daughter Nina
 Benigno Simeon III (Noynoy, born February 8, 1960), the 15th President of the
Philippines
 Victoria Elisa (Viel, born October 27, 1961), married to Joseph Dee, with son
Francis (Kiko), daughter Jacinta Patricia (Jia)
 Kristina Bernadette (Kris, born February 14, 1971), formerly married to James
Yap (Separated in 2010), with sons Joshua Philip Aquino Salvador (Josh)
and James Aquino Yap Jr. (Bimby)

MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
His achievements at such a young age earned him the moniker “Wonder Boy of
Philippine politics.” Other awards of Ninoy Aquino are the following:
1950. Philippine Legion of Honor, Officer Degree, awarded by President Elpidio
Quirino for “Meritorious Service” to the Philippines for his coverage of the
Philippine Expeditionary Force to the Korean War.
1954. Philippine Legion of Honor, Commander degree, awarded by President
Ramon Magsaysay for “exemplary meritorious service” to the Filipino
people negotiating the coverage of HUK Supremo Luis Taruc.
1957. First Bronze Anahaw Leaf, Philippine Legion of Honor, conferred by
President Ramon Magsaysay, for services in the peace and order
campaign.
1960. Voted one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines (TOYM) in
the field of public service.
1968-1971. Outstanding Senator, voted yearly by the Philippine Free Press, the
Philippine leading political weekly magazine.
1971. Man of the Year, voted by the Philippine Free Press, citing him for the
leadership he showed when his party’s leadership was bombed in Plaza
Miranda, the Philippines’ equivalent to Hyde Park. He led his party’s
campaign “with courage, with distinction” despite threats to arrest him,
made by then President Marcos. He led the Liberal Party to a 6-2 victory
in the Philippine Senate elections, which catapulted him to become the
No. 1 presidential contender in the 1973 elections.
INTERESTING FACTS:

 At age twenty-two Aquino became the Philippines' youngest mayor in his home-
town of Concepcion. Just six years later he became governor of Tarlac province
(a position similar to governing a state).
 In 1967 Aquino once again made history when he became the
youngest senator ever elected in the Philippines.
 After martial law was declared in the Philippines, and he was imprisoned on
trumped-up charges, he announced a hunger strike in protest.