Biography: President Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III, also called Noynoy or Pnoy, is a Filipino politician who served

as the 15th President of the Philippines (2010-) and was the scion of the Aquino and Cojuangco political clans. Born on February 8, 1960, Manila, Philippines, Aquino was the only son of Corazon Aquino, the 11th President of the Philippines, and Benigno Aquino, Jr., a political leader and known opposition figure against former President Ferdinand Marcos. He has four sisters: Maria Elena (Ballsy) Aquino-Cruz, Aurora Corazon (Pinky) Aquino-Abellada, Victoria Elisa (Viel) Aquino-Dee, and Kristina Bernadette (Kris) Aquino. Aquino studied in Ateneo de Manila University for his elementary, high school, and college education. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics degree in 1981, he left for Boston to join his family in exile. Aquinos family returned to the Philippines after his father was assassinated in 1983. He worked for several private organizations before venturing in the political field. He had a short tenure as a member of the Philippine Business for Social Progress, working as an assistant of the executive director of PBSP. He then joined the Mondragon Industries Philippines, Inc. as an assistant retail sales supervisor and assistant promotions manager for Nike Philippines, Inc. In 1986, he joined Intra-Strata Assurance Corporation as vicepresident. From 1986 to 1993, Aquino was vice president and treasurer for Best Security Agency Corporation, a firm owned by his uncle Antolin Oreta. Aquino then worked for Central Azucarera de Tarlac, a sugar refinery owned by the Cojuangco clan. He started out as the companys executive assistant before becoming field services manager in 1996. In 1998, he made the move to politics as a member of the Liberal Party, serving three consecutive terms as a representative of the 2nd district of Tarlac province. Aquino served on numerous committees as a member of Congress and during this time he also served as deputy speaker of the House of Representative (2004-2006). In 2007, Aquino successful bid a Senate seat under the banner of the Genuine Opposition (GO), a coalition comprising a number of parties, including his own Liberal Party, seeking to curb attempts by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to amend the Constitution. Aquino also held various positions in the Liberal Party. He served as Secretary General of the party (1999-2002), Vice-President of the Luzon Liberal Party (2002-2004), and Secretary General of the party (2004-March 16, 2006). In 2011, he became Chairman of the Liberal Party after serving as the Vice Chairman for five years (2006- January 18, 2011), After the death of former President Corazon Aquino, there were calls for him to run for higher office. A group of lawyer and activists formed the Noynoy Aquino for President Movement (NAPM) to persuade Aquino to run for President. September 2009, Aquino officially announced his candidacy in the 2010 presidential race. In the May 2010 election, Aquino won the presidency by a wide margin. Source: NoyNoy-Aquino.com and Brittanica.com