Benigno Aquino Jr.

ABOUT BENIGNO AQUINO JR.

Filipino dissident who opposed the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos and became a folk hero after his death. The Manila International Airport was later renamed Ninoy Aquino International Airport in his honor and the anniversary of his death is a national holiday in the Philippines. His widow, Corazon Aquino , became first female President of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992, officially ending the Marcos regime.

His family political connections allowed him to see the beginnings of what he called a 'garrison' state, government by a military junta.

After martial law was declared in the Philippines, and he was imprisoned on trumped-up charges, he announced a hunger strike in protest.

His father was a general in the revolutionary army of Emilio Aguinaldo , and his father was a member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines.

After the overthrow of Ferdinand Marcos , his death date became a national holiday.