He was also elected mayor of Murcia, Tarlac and, under General Francisco Makabulos, he organized the Filipino revolutionary forces against the Americans.

[3] His son, Benigno “Igno” Aquino Sr. (September 3, 1894 – December 20, 1947) served as a representative to the National Assembly (1919-1926), majority floor leader, and senator (1928).

Igno Aquino was appointed member of the Council of State (1942), and speaker and director general of KALIBAPI (Kapisnan ng Paglilingkod sa Bayan).

When martial law was declared in 1972, Ninoy was immediately imprisoned and placed in a solitary cell for about eight years, until Marcos allowed him to leave for heart surgery in the United States.

His most celebrated speech, insolently entitled "A Pantheon for Imelda", delivered on February 10, 1969, assailed the first lady's first extravagant project, the P50 million Cultural Center of the Philippines, which he dubbed "a monument to shame".

Marcos made this a pretext to suspend the Writ of Habeas Corpus, vowed that the killers would be apprehended within 48 hours, and arrested a score of known "Maoists" on general principle.

Ironically, the police captured one of the bombers, who was identified as a sergeant of the firearms and explosive section of the Philippine Constabulary, a military arm of the government.

On April 4, 1975, Aquino announced that he was going on a hunger strike, a fast to the death to protest the injustices of his military trial.

2 headed by Major-General Jose Syjuco found Ninoy guilty of all charges and he was sentenced to death by firing squad.

Although his friends, former senators Gerry Roxas and Jovito Salonga preferred to boycott the elections, Aquino urged his supporters to organize and run 21 candidates in Metro Manila.

He was allowed one television interview on Face the Nation (hosted by Ronnie Nathanielsz) and proved to a startled and impressed populace that imprisonment had neither dulled his rapier-like tongue nor dampened his fighting spirit.

[3] In mid-March 1980, Ninoy suffered a heart attack, possibly the result of seven years in prison, mostly in a solitary cell which must have taken a heavy toll on his gregarious personality.

Additionally, Ninoy refused to submit himself to the hands of local doctors, fearing possible Marcos "duplicity", preferring to either go to the United States for the procedure or to return to his cell at Fort Bonifacio and die.

She then ordered General Fabian C. Ver and Mel Mathay to make necessary arrangements for passports and plane tickets for the Aquino family.

Aquino was rushed to his home on Times Street to pack, hustled to the airport and put on a plane bound for the U.S. that same day accompanied by his family.

When he reiterated that he was returning to the Philippines, he received a surreptitious message from the Marcos government saying that he was now granted an extension of his "medical furlough".

[6] This assassination caused the uprising of the Filipino people, and at the same time, the pressure on Corazon “Cory” Aquino to take the place of her late husband.

After spending a day in isolation in a church, Cory then decided that she will run for presidency against Marcos, who declared a snap election.

However, as the elections were nearing, Cory started to learn more about politics, stating that “I'm getting so many crash courses at this point in my life.”[8] At the same time, she was getting the support from the different classes in the Philippines.

Forty days after her mother's death, Noynoy Aquino announced that he will run for presidency, and that he will follow the footsteps of his parents in leading the nation should he win the election.

2019, Noynoy Aquino wins Philippine presidency - World Socialist Web He concentrated on crafting laws that would help create opportunity rather than impose additional burdens to those who are already disadvantaged.

On September 9, 2009, in Club Filipino in Greenhills, he announced that he will continue the fight of his parents, and run for presidency under the Liberal Party.

[11] The main slogan of his campaign was “Daang matuwid”, and, “If there were no corrupt, there would be no poor.”, as a way to allege himself with his parents who fought and stood by the same principle.

He used the color and symbol of Ninoy and Cory, the yellow ribbon, to present himself as their scion that would continue their cause towards proper governance.

Some have criticized her intentions on land distribution, considering her belonging to the Cojuangco clan, owners of the Hacienda Luisita, a 6000-hectare sugar plantation in Tarlac.

The dispersal by police and military on a 6000-strong worker's strike in November 2004 led to the so-called Hacienda Luisita massacre, killing at least 7 people and injuring hundreds, and drawing condemnation.

They started out as rivals when Roxas, under Sergio Osmeña's mentorship and Aquino, under Manuel L. Quezon's orders, were going against each other in the issue regarding the Hare-Hawes-Cutting Campaigns.

[19] Their sons, Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. and Gerardo "Gerry" Roxas, along with Jovito R. Salonga, helped each other in their respective fields.

[19] Salonga, along with other lawyers, had to defend Ninoy's case of being a year younger than the required age during the elections but would be enough during the proclamation of the winner.

The Cojuangcos, who gained their wealth due to the continuous acquisition of land from farmers who cannot pay debts, became powerful enough to rule the northern part of Tarlac.