Benigno Aquino Sr. Explained

Honorific-Prefix:The Honourable
Benigno Aquino Sr.
Office:6th Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines
1st Speaker of the National Assembly of the Second Philippine Republic
Appointer:National Assembly of the Second Philippine Republic
President:José P. Laurel
Term Start:September 25, 1943
Term End:February 2, 1944
Predecessor:José Yulo
Successor:Jose Zulueta
Office2:Member of the National Assembly of the Second Philippine Republic from Tarlac's at-large district
Term Start2:September 25, 1943
Term End2:February 2, 1944
Alongside2:Sergio L. Aquino
Office3:Commissionner of the Interior
1Blankname3:Presiding Officer, PEC
1Namedata3:Jorge B. Vargas
Term Start3:1942
Term End3:1942
Successor3:José P. Laurel
Office4:Secretary of Agriculture and Commerce
President4:Manuel L. Quezon
Term Start4:1938
Term End4:1940
Predecessor4:Eulogio Rodriguez
Successor4:Rafael Alunan
Office5:Member of the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from Tarlac's 2nd district
Term Start5:June 11, 1945
Term End5:May 25, 1946
Predecessor5:Jose Urquico
as Member of the National Assembly
Successor5:Alejandro Simpaoco
Office6:Member of the National Assembly of the Philippines from Tarlac's 2nd district
Term Start6:September 16, 1935
Term End6:December 30, 1938
Predecessor6:Feliciano B. Gardiner
as Representative
Successor6:Jose Urquico
Office7:Senate Majority Leader
Term Start7:July 16, 1931
Term End7:June 5, 1934
1Blankname7:Senate President
1Namedata7:Manuel L. Quezon
Predecessor7:José P. Laurel
Successor7:Claro M. Recto
Office8:Senator of the Philippines from the 3rd Senatorial District
Term Start8:June 5, 1928
Term End8:June 5, 1934
Served with:
Teodoro Sandiko (1928–1931)
Sotero Baluyut (1931–1934)
Predecessor8:Luis Morales
Successor8:Hermogenes Concepcion
Office9:Member of the Philippine House of Representatives from Tarlac's 2nd district
Term Start9:June 3, 1919
Term End9:June 5, 1928
Predecessor9:Cayetano Rivera
Successor9:Jose G. Domingo
Office10:Vice President of the Philippines
Status10:De facto
Term Start10:January 15, 1944
Term End10:August 17, 1945
President10:José P. Laurel
Birth Name:Benigno Simeón Aquino y Quiambao
Birth Date:3 September 1894
Birth Place:Murcia, Tarlac, Tarlac, Captaincy General of the Philippines (now Concepcion, Tarlac, Philippines)
Death Place:Manila, Philippines
Nationality:Filipino
Party:Nacionalista (1919–1942; 1945–1947)
Otherparty:KALIBAPI (1942–1945)
Parents:Servillano Aquino (father)
Guadalupe Quiambao (mother)
Spouse:
    Children:11 (incl. Ninoy, Butz and Tessie)
    Relatives:Aquino family
    Alma Mater:University of Santo Tomas (LL.B)
    Occupation:Farmer, politician
    Profession:Lawyer, civil servant

    Benigno Simeón Quiambao Aquino Sr. (September 3, 1894 – December 20, 1947) was a Filipino politician who served as Speaker of the National Assembly of the Japanese-sponsored puppet state in the Philippines from 1943 to 1944.

    He was the Director-General of KALIBAPI, a political party established during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines.

    His grandson, Benigno S. Aquino III was the 15th President of the Philippines, serving from 2010 to 2016.

    Early life

    Aquino was born in Murcia (now part of Concepcion, Tarlac) in the town of Tarlac to Servillano "Mianong" Aquino, a general in the Philippine Revolution who later served as a member of the Malolos Congress, and Guadalupe Quiambao. He had two siblings: Gonzalo Aquino (1893–??) and Amando Aquino (1896–??), and a half-brother, Herminio Aquino (1949–2021). He studied at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Manila and later at the University of Santo Tomas, where he earned his law degree in 1913, and was admitted to the bar the following year.

    Political career

    Aquino was first elected to the Philippine Legislature as a member of the Philippine House of Representatives in 1919 representing the 2nd district of Tarlac. He was reelected to the same position in 1922 and 1925 before winning a Philippine Senate seat in 1928 representing the 3rd Senatorial District comprising the provinces of Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and his home-province of Tarlac. He became part of the Philippine Independence Mission in 1931, which negotiated the terms of obtaining Philippine independence from the United States. During the elections for the Commonwealth of the Philippines government in 1935 he ran again in his district in Tarlac and won, this time as a member of the National Assembly. In 1937, he was appointed by Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon as Secretary of Agriculture and Commerce.

    Speaker of the National Assembly

    Being among the more prominent Commonwealth officials remaining in the country after the Commonwealth government went into exile in 1941, Aquino was among those recruited by the Japanese to form a government. He became the director-general of KALIBAPI and one of the two assistant chairmen of the Preparatory Commission for Philippine Independence. When the Second Philippine Republic was inaugurated, he was elected Speaker of the National Assembly.

    Arrest and collaboration charges

    In December 1944, as the combined Filipino and American forces continued their advance to liberate the Philippines from Japanese forces, the government of the Second Philippine Republic, which included Aquino, was moved to Baguio. Subsequently, they travelled to Tuguegarao, where they were flown to Japan via Formosa (now Taiwan) and Shanghai, China. On September 15, 1945, while in Nara, Aquino, alongside former President Jose P. Laurel and his son Jose III, was arrested and placed into custody by Americans led by Colonel Turner following the surrender of Japan. They were imprisoned at Yokohama prison and two months later at Sugamo Prison. On July 23, 1946, they were flown back to the Philippines for trial on treason charges by the People's Court.[1] A few weeks later, he was released on bail.

    Personal life

    First marriage

    In May 1916, he married Maria Urquico, the daughter of katipunero Antonio Urquico and Justa Valeriano. He had two sons and two daughters with Maria: Antonio Aquino “Tony” (1917–1993), Servillano Aquino II “Billy” (1919–1973), Milagros Aquino “Mila” (1924–2001), and Erlinda Aquino “Linda” (1926–2022).

    Second marriage

    After Maria died in March 1928, he married Aurora Lampa Aquino (maiden name, granddaughter of Melencio Aquino and Evarista de los Santos and daughter of Agapito de los Santos Aquino and Gerarda Miranda Lampa) on December 6, 1930, with whom he had seven children—Maria Aurora (Maur), Benigno Simeon Jr. (Ninoy), Maria Gerarda (Ditas), Maria Guadalupe (Lupita), Agapito (Butz), Paul, and Maria Teresa (Tessie).[2]

    Death

    On December 20, 1947, Aquino died of a heart attack at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila while watching a boxing match.

    See also

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: Jose P. Laurel A Register of His Papers in the Jose P. Laurel Memorial Library-Museum. August 17, 2022. 1982. Jose P. Laurel Memorial Library. E-LIS repository.
    2. Web site: Views from the Pampang: The other Benigno.