Benigno Aquino, Jr.

:For the municipality, see Sen. Ninoy Aquino, Sultan Kudarat

Political Career

Ninoy was no stranger to Philippine politics. Being a third-generation Aquino, his family had been pretty much involved in some of the country's political heavyweights (His grandfather served for President Aguinaldo while his father served for Presidents Manuel Quezon and Jose P. Laurel). Ninoy of course, had something to show under his belt. The youngest municipal mayor at 22, he became, at 27, the nation's youngest vice-governor; he became governor of Tarlac in 1961 at age 29, then he became secretary-general of the Liberal Party in 1966. In 1967 he made history becoming the youngest elected senator in the country's history at the age of 34. As a matter of fact, he was the only "survivor" of the Liberal Party that made it to the senate, which he was subsequently singled out by Marcos and his senators as their nemesis. In 1968, his first year in the Upper House, he warned that Marcos was building up "a Garrison State" by "ballooning the armed forces budget", saddling the defense establishment with "overstaying generals" and "militarizing our civilian government offices" - all these caveats uttered almost four years before martial law. In a million different ways, the indefatigable Aquino bedeviled the Marcos regime, chipping away like a beaver at its monolithic facade. His most celebrated speech, insolently entitled "A Pantheon for Imelda", was delivered on February 10, 1969, and assailed the First Lady's first extravagant project, the P50 million Cultural Center, which he dubbed "a monument to shame". President Marcos, outraged, called Ninoy "a congenital liar". The First Lady's friends, while a flood of tears cascaded down her beautiful face, angrily accused Aquino of being "ungallant". This so-called "fiscalization" tactics of Aquino quickly became his signature trademark at the Senate. During his tenure as senator, he was selected by the Philippine Free Press magazine as one of the outstanding senators. His achievements at a very young age dubbed him the "wonder boy" of Philippine politics.

Related Topics:
Manuel Quezon - 1961 - Liberal Party - 1967 - Garrison State - February 10, 1969 - First Lady - Philippine Free Press

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Ninoy was undoubtedly aiming for the highest office in the land, the Presidency. Surveys during those times showed that Ninoy was the number one choice among Filipinos, since President Marcos can no longer serve another term. But Ninoy's dream of becoming the next president didn't materialize.

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