Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Cojuangco Aquino III was born on February 8, 1960 in Manila. He is the only son of the late Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. whose assassination led to the social unrest which catapulted his mother, Corazon Cojuangco Aquino to president. He is a fourth-generation politician. His great grandfather, Servillano Aquino served as a delegate to the Malolos Congress his grandfather, Benigno Aquino, Sr., held several legislative positions from 1919–44.
He is the third of the five children of Benigno Aquino, Jr., who was then Vice Governor of Tarlac province, and Corazon Aquino. He has four sisters, Maria Elena (Ballsy) Aquino Cruz, Aurora Corazon (Pinky) Aquino Abellada, Victoria Eliza (Viel) Aquino Dee, and Kristina Bernadette (Kris) Aquino Yap.
Aquino obtained his Economics degree from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1981 and joined his family in their exile in the United States. He returned to the Philippines when his father was assassinated in 1983.
Aquino had a short tenure as a member of the Philippine Business for Social Progress, working as an assistant of the executive director of PBSP. Aquino later joined Mondragon Industries Philippines, Inc. as an assistant Retail Sales Supervisor and assistant promotions manager for Nike Philippines, Inc.
From 1986 to 1992, during the presidency of his mother, Aquino joined the Intra-Strata Assurance Corporation, a company owned by his uncle Antolin Oreta Jr., as vice president.
From 1993 to 1998, Aquino worked for Central Azucarera de Tarlac, the sugar refinery in charge of the Cojuangco-owned Hacienda Luisita, as the executive assistant for administration from 1993 to 1996, then Aquino worked as manager for field services from 1996 to 1998.
In 1998, he was elected to the House of Representatives as Representative of the 2nd district of Tarlac province. He was subsequently re-elected to the House in 2001 and 2004. In 2007, having been barred from running for re-election to the House due to the term limit, he was elected to the Senate in the 14th Congress of the Philippines.
After his mother’s death, on September 9, 2009, Aquino officially announced he would be a candidate in the 2010 presidential election, held on May 10, 2010.
On June 9, 2010, the Congress of the Philippines proclaimed Aquino the winner of the 2010 presidential election. Aquino will take office as the fifteenth President of the Philippines on June 30, 2010, succeeding Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
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