+BENIGNO

AQUINO III+
Credentials 2010-2016
 Former president Benigno Aquino III signed
Republic Act No. 10821, known as the
“Children’s Emergency Relief and Protection
Act,” in the presence of ranking government
officials led by Senate President Franklin
Drilon (left) and House of Representatives
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. (right) and
other stakeholders in a ceremony held at the
Rizal Hall of Malacañang Palace on May 16,
2016. The law aims to improve the care and
protection of children affected by disasters.
Aquino, who was urged to
run after the death of his
mother – former president
and democracy icon
Corazon “Cory” Aquino –
a year earlier, was then
elected as the Philippines’
15th president.

After his term, Aquino’s

life was mostly out of the
public eye, until his death
on Thursday, June 24,
from renal disease
secondary to diabetes. He
was 61.
 PHILIPPINES WINS
ARBITRATION CASE
VERSUS CHINA
During the Aquino administration, the
Philippines filed an arbitration case before
The Hague-based Permanent Court of
Arbitration (PCA) against China in January
2013 concerning issues in the South China
Sea.

Before the case was filed, tensions rose

between Manila and Beijing ships in
Scarborough Shoal in April 2012.

Since the initiation of the arbitration case, China

conducted several massive reclamation projects,
wherein submerged reefs were transformed to
artificial islands to be used for hosting military
structures and equipment.

China did not participate throughout the trial.

In July 2016, the PCA ruled that the Philippines has

exclusive sovereign rights over the West Philippine
Sea, and invalidated China’s “nine-dash ” line. China,
however, rejected the ruling.
 ECONOMIC GROWTH

The Philippines also enjoyed a

stable growth in the economy
during Aquino’s six-year term.

When it came to the country’s

gross domestic product (GDP),
experts said it was considered the
highest in four decades. On his
first year in office in 2010, the
country’s GDP was recorded at
7.6%. On his last year, 2016, it was
at 6.9%.

Experts said that due to the growth

in GDP during the Aquino
administration, the Philippines
attracted more investors.
 ANTI-
CYBERCRIME
LAW
In September 2012, Aquino signed into law
Republic Act No. 10175 or the Cybercrime
Prevention Act of 2012, which originally aimed to
penalize crimes such as cybersex, child
pornography, identity theft, illegal access to data
and cybersquatting.

While this was hailed, critics pointed out that a

provision of the law expanded the scope of libel
law to cover internet posts. Those who violate this
law may be sentenced by up to 12 years in prison
for posting defamatory statements on social media
sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

The Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining

order in October 2012, stopping the
implementation of the law for 120 days. The TRO
was later extended in February 2013.

The high court later upheld the law, including the

controversial provision, in February 2014.
 DATA PRIVACY
In a bid to protect all forms of personal
information in the government and private sector,
Aquino signed RA 10173 or the Data Privacy Act
of 2012 on Aug. 15, 2012.

The law orders all government and private

institutions to protect citizens' data privacy rights,
apply the information security standards in data
processing, implement legal criteria in dealing
with personal data, and adopt control measures
that guarantee the information's availability,
integrity, and confidentiality.

Aquino also signed the law to boost the

Philippines' investments in the information
technology and business process outsourcing
industries.

The measure also paved the way for establishing

the National Privacy Commission, an independent
body mandated to implement and administer data
privacy provisions of the Data Privacy Act.
Penalties for unauthorized processing of personal
and sensitive information range from three to six
years imprisonment and a fine of up to P4 million.
FIRST FEMALE SUPREME
COURT CHIEF JUSTICE
Aquino made a historic appointment on Aug.
24, 2012 when he appointed the Philippines'
first female chief magistrate, then Supreme
Court associate justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

Sereno was also the first appointee of Aquino to

the high court. She was expected to serve as the
country's top judge until 2030, in accordance
with the mandatory retirement age of 70 in the
judiciary.

But in 2018, she was ousted by the high

tribunal as the SC justices granted the quo
warranto petition filed by Solicitor General Jose
Calida on March 5, 2018 against Sereno. Nine
of the justices also invalidated her appointment
as the 24th chief justice for failure to file
SALNs.

Sereno was replaced by former chief justice

Teresita Leonardo-de Castro, who served for
only 44 days following her retirement as the
head of the judiciary.
REFORM
The country's traditional 10-year basic
education cycle underwent a significant change
after Aquino signed the Enhanced Basic
Education Act of 2013, known as the K-12
program, on May 15, 2013.

The law, which was the Aquino administration's

flagship education reform program, added two
more years to the basic education of students in
the country. The K-12 program covers
kindergarten, six years of primary education,
four years of junior high school, and the two
years of senior high school, which are
mandatory for completion before admission to
universities or colleges.

Prior to its full implementation in 2016, some

sectors criticized the law, citing the additional
costs it could bring to the students and parents.

In 2018, the SC declared the constitutionality of

the K-12 program. It also dismissed the
consolidated petitions filed by schools, teachers,
professors, and organizations questioning the