He launched the public-private partnership program to hasten infrastructure development,[2] and formed a commission to investigate issues and corruption allegations against his predecessor, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Roxas lost the vice presidential race to Estrada's running mate, Makati mayor Jejomar Binay of the PDP–Laban party.

[19][20] Instead, Aquino formally requested Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines Conchita Carpio-Morales, who opposed the midnight appointment of Corona, to administer his oath of office.

[23] Instead, Aquino decided to use the Bahay Pangarap (English: House of Aspiration),[24] located inside Malacañang Park,[25] at the headquarters of the Presidential Security Group across the Pasig River from Malacañan Palace.

[19][20] To fill the vacancy, Aquino appointed Maria Lourdes Sereno, a former government counsel in the Fraport case in Singapore involving the construction and turnover of NAIA Terminal 3, as the 169th associate justice on August 13, 2010.

He openly criticized the latter, such as on December 6, 2011, at the National Criminal Justice Summit held in Manila Hotel, when Aquino said in a speech that Corona, who was seated meters away from him, is beholden to Arroyo.

[35] Aside from Arroyo's midnight appointment of Corona, Aquino also questioned the court's granting of a temporary restraining order lifting the watch list order of the Department of Justice against Arroyo[35] and the ruling of Camarines Sur's two new legislative districts as constitutional despite falling short of the required population set by the Constitution, which Aquino earlier questioned in the Supreme Court in 2009.

[36][37] On December 12, 2011, six days after Aquino's speech, his allies in the House of Representatives, where he has a sizable majority, voted to impeach Corona from his position.

[84] He received harsh criticism for the Manila hostage crisis, although the event had minimal impact in his approval rating;[85] he finished his 100th day in office with 71% of respondents in an SWS survey satisfied with his performance.

[97][98] On August 27, 2010, at a press conference in Malacañang, Aquino apologized to those offended when he was caught on television apparently smiling while being interviewed at the crime scene hours after the Manila hostage crisis.

[104] A special order from DOST Secretary Mario Montejo, dated August 5, 2010, designated Yumul as PAGASA administrator, replacing Nilo.

[107] During his first State of the Nation Address (SONA), Aquino announced his intention to continue the 9-year implementation process of the K–12 education in the Philippines that started on May 20, 2008 during the administration of his predecessor Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

[108] On April 24, 2012, the K–12 became effective starting on School Year (SY) 2012-2013 and to maintain continuity, Aquino signed the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 into law in May 2013.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations ranked the Philippines fifth among countries reporting the greatest annual forest area gain, which reached 240,000 hectares during the 2010–2015 period.

[116] In January 2013, Aquino signed the Reproductive Health Bill which funds contraceptives for poor individuals; the law has been challenged in the Philippine Supreme Court.

[120][121] The Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway was the first PPP project approved by the Aquino administration, with Ayala Corporation winning the concession to build and operate the P2.2 billion four-kilometer toll road on December 16, 2011.

[125] Aquino rejected declaring a state of emergency amid the Moro National Liberation Front's (MILF) attempted occupation of Zamboanga City in September 2013.

The peace deal granted mainly Muslim areas in the southern Mindanao region greater political autonomy in exchange for the MILF surrendering their weapons.

[130] In 2011, the Aquino administration began pursuing peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front of the Philippines (CPP-NPA-NDF) through the 2011 Oslo Joint Statement, which was mediated by the Royal Norwegian Government.

By February 2013, as a precondition to continuing the peace talks, the CPP-NPA-NDF demanded that the Philippine government release 18 of its high-level consultants and stop the military's Oplan Bayanihan counterinsurgency program.

[131] On August 14, 2010, Aquino directed the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to fully implement Executive Order No.

255, issued on July 25, 1987, by former President Corazon Aquino, requiring all radio stations to broadcast a minimum of four original Filipino musical compositions every hour.

[135][136] Three hours ahead of United States President Barack Obama's state visit to the Philippines in April 2014, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and US ambassador Philip Goldberg signed the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), a 10-year military accord allowing American military forces greater access to bases across the Philippines.

[140] On September 24, 2010, Aquino had a seven-minute one-on-one talk with President of the United States Barack Obama during the 2nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-US Leaders Meeting at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.

[141][142] During the meeting, Aquino recognized the United States’ commitment to reinvigorating its relationship with the region and its individual nations at a time of ever-increasing complexity in global affairs.

[143] Aquino and Triết signed four memorandum of agreement on four areas of cooperation, namely, higher education, defense, oil spill preparedness and response, and search and rescue at sea.