Paolo Benigno "Bam" Aguirre Aquino IV (, born May 7, 1977) is a Filipino politician and social entrepreneur who served as a

Senator of the Philippines The Senate of the Philippines (Filipino: ''Senado ng Pilipinas'', also ''Mataas na Kapulungan ng Pilipinas'' or "upper chamber") is the upper house of Congress of the bicameral legislature of the Philippines with the House of Representatives as ...

from 2013 to 2019. He is a member of the prominent

Aquino family The Aquino family of Tarlac (, ) is one of the most prominent families in the Philippines because of their Political family, involvement in politics. Some family members are also involved in other fields such as business and entertainment. The fa ...

in the Philippines.

Pre-politics activities

Aquino was also one of the hosts of the morning TV show ''

Breakfast Breakfast is the first meal of the day usually eaten in the morning. The word in English refers to breaking the fasting period of the previous night.Anderson, Heather Arndt (2013)''Breakfast: A History'' AltaMira Press. Various "typical" or "t ...

'', a youth-oriented talk show at Studio 23. In 2006, Aquino hosted the youth-oriented debate show

Y Speak {{Infobox television , image = Yspeaklogo.jpg , caption = Y Speak Program Card , genre = Talk show, debate , camera = Multiple-camera setup , executive_producer = Karen Almeida-Pedrealba Bianca Gonzales , creator = ABS-CBN , developer ...

Studio 23 Studio 23 (officially Studio 23, Inc. and previously AMCARA Broadcasting Network) was a Filipino television network owned by ABS-CBN Corporation. The network was named for its flagship station in Metro Manila, DWAC-TV and carried on UHF chann ...

(now ABS-CBN Sports & Action Ch. 23). In 2009, Aquino played the role of his uncle Ninoy Aquino, in the documentary film, '' The Last Journey of Ninoy''. The film premiered on August 21, 2009, in commemoration of the 26th anniversary of the assassination of Ninoy. It was directed by Jun Reyes. Before becoming a senator, Aquino became the President of MicroVentures, Inc., a social enterprise company that manages the Hapinoy Program which provides micro-financing, training and access to new business opportunities for women micro-entrepreneurs. For his efforts, Aquino was named as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines in the category of Social Enterprise and Community Development. He was also chosen as one of the

Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World (TOYP) program serves to formally recognize young people who excel in their chosen fields and exemplify the best attributes of the world's young people. The program is sponsored by Junior Chamber Interna ...

in 2012. He was also a Board Member of Rags2Riches, Venture for Fundraising, and the Coca-Cola Foundation.

Political career

2013 senatorial bid

Running under the

Team PNoy Team PNoy, formerly known as the LP–Akbayan–NPC–NP–LDP Coalition, was a political umbrella coalition in the Philippines, originally formed to support the administration-backed senatorial line-up for the 2013 Philippine Senate election. Tea ...

coalition of his cousin, he won in the 2013 elections and placed 7th with 15,388,992 votes.

16th and 17th Congress

Aquino chaired the Committee on Science and Technology from 2016 to 2019. He was also a member of the following committees: * Committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations (Blue Ribbon) * Committee on Agriculture and Food * Committee on Banks, Financial Institutions and Currencies * Committee on Civil Service and Government Reorganization * Committee on Cooperatives * Committee on Cultural Communities * Committee on Education, Arts and Culture * Committee on Energy * Committee on Environment and Natural Resources * Committee on Games, Amusement and Sports * Committee on Health and Demography * Committee on Local Government * Committee on National Defense and Security * Committee on Peace, Unification and Reconciliation * Committee on Public Information and Mass Media * Committee on Rules * Committee on Science and Technology * Committee on Social Justice, Welfare, and Rural Development * Committee on Ways and Means * Senate Electoral Tribunal He was the former chairman of the Committee on Education Culture and Arts from July 2016 until his removal from the position in February 2017 due to his opposition on a Duterte-backed legislation. He was chairman of the Committee on Trade, Commerce, and Entrepreneurship and Committee on Youth from July 2013 to June 2016.

Laws passed

Senator Aquino passed more than 40 laws during his first five and half years in office.Senator Paolo Benigno "Bam" Aquino IV. https://www.senate.gov.ph/senators/sen_bio/aquino_bam_bio.aspOffice of Senator Bam Aquino. 2014. http://www.bamaquino.com * Republic Act 10931, or the

Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act The Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, officially designated as Republic Act 10931, is a Philippine law that institutionalizes free tuition and exemption from other fees in state universities and colleges (SUCs), and local univer ...

* Republic Act 10929, or Free Internet Access in Public Space * Republic Act 10693, or Microfinance NGOs Act * Republic Act 10911, or Anti Age-Discrimination Act * Republic Act 10821, or Children's Emergency Relief and Protection Act * Republic Act 10863, or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) * Republic Act 10909, or No Shortchanging Act * Republic Act 10644, or the Go Negosyo'' Act * Republic Act 10642, or the Philippine Lemon Law * Republic Act 10667, or the Philippine Competition Act * Republic Act 10668, or the Foreign Ships Co-Loading Act * Republic Act 10679, or the Youth Entrepreneurship Act * Under Republic Act No. 10742, or the Sangguniang Kabataan Reform Act * Republic Act No. 10693, or the Microfinance NGOs Act * Republic Act No. 10744, or the Credit Surety Fund Act of 2014 * Republic Act No. 10756, or the Election Service Reform Act of 2014 * Republic Act 10755, or the Act Authorizing The Punong Barangay to Administer the Oath of Office * Republic Act No. 10844, or the Department of Information and Communication Technology Act of 2015 * Republic Act No. 10754, or the Act Expanding the Benefits and Privileges of Persons with Disability * Republic Act 10905, or Closed Caption Broadcasting of Television Programs Act * Republic Act 11054, or the Bangsamoro Organic Law * Republic Act No. 11106, or the Filipino Sign Language Act

2019 re-election bid

Aquino ran for re-election as senator as one of the

Otso Diretso Otso Diretso ( ), initially called the Oposisyon Koalisyon () was an electoral alliance formed to field candidates for the 2019 Philippine general election, in opposition to President Rodrigo Duterte. Otso Diretso fielded eight candidates (''otso' ...

candidates. He failed to win in his re-election bid, placing 14th overall with 14,144,923 votes. Aquino was quoted that "There are 14 million people who voted for an Aquino during the time of Duterte. That's something". According to his wife, he might return to his social entrepreneurship initiatives after his term ended on June 30, 2019. On July 19, 2019, the PNP–

Criminal Investigation and Detection Group The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) is the primary investigation arm of the Philippine National Police. History The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group was established as the Criminal Information Service whose origin t ...

(CIDG) filed charges against Aquino and other members of the

opposition Opposition may refer to: Arts and media * ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars * The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band * '' The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Com ...

for "sedition, cyber libel, libel, ''estafa'', harboring a criminal, and

obstruction of justice Obstruction of justice, in United States jurisdictions, is an act that involves unduly influencing, impeding, or otherwise interfering with the justice system, especially the legal and procedural tasks of prosecutors, investigators, or other gov ...

". On February 10, 2020, he was cleared of all charges.

Campaign manager of Leni Robredo

Aquino initially planned to run for senator in the

2022 Philippine Senate election The 2022 Philippine Senate election was the 34th election of members to the Senate of the Philippines for a six-year term. It was held on May 9, 2022. The seats of the 12 senators elected in 2016 were contested in this election, and the senato ...

. However, on October 7, 2021, he revealed that Vice President

Leni Robredo Maria Leonor "Leni" Gerona Robredo (; born Maria Leonor Santo Tomas Gerona; April 23, 1965) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 14th vice president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. She was the wife of the late Jesse ...

had offered him the role of campaign manager for her

presidential campaign President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese fu ...

in the

2022 Philippine presidential election The 2022 Philippine presidential and vice presidential elections were held on May 9, 2022, as part of the 2022 general election. This was the 17th direct presidential election and 16th vice presidential election in the Philippines since 1935, ...

, which she launched earlier that day. Aquino accepted the offer and did not file his certificate of candidacy for a Senate bid to focus on "this essential and daunting challenge."

Personal life

Bam Aquino was born on May 7, 1977, in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

. He is the son of Paul Aquino, a son of

Benigno Aquino Sr. Benigno Simeon "Igno" Quiambao Aquino Sr. (born Benigno Simeón Aquino y Quiambao; 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 ...

, and Melanie ( Aguirre) Aquino. His grandfather, Benigno Sr., served as a

congressman A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...

from

Tarlac Tarlac, officially the Province of Tarlac ( pam, Lalawigan ning Tarlac; pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Tarlac; ilo, Probinsia ti Tarlac; tgl, Lalawigan ng Tarlac; ), is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. It ...

's 2nd District (1919–28), a senator from the 3rd District (1928–34) Speaker of the National Assembly of the Japanese-puppet state of the Philippines from 1943 to 1944. Went on trial for Treason after the world war II for collaborating with the Japanese, and eventually became the 6th

Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines The speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines ( fil, Ispiker ng Kapulungan ng mga Kinatawan ng Pilipinas), more popularly known as the House speaker, is the presiding officer and the highest-ranking official of the lower house ...

(1943–44). Under President

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...

regime In politics, a regime (also "régime") is the form of government or the set of rules, cultural or social norms, etc. that regulate the operation of a government or institution and its interactions with society. According to Yale professor Juan Jo ...

, his uncle Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., a former senator (1967–72), was exiled in the United States from 1980 until 1983 when he returned to the Philippines and was

assassinated Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...

at the

Manila International Airport Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA , ; fil, Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Ninoy Aquino or ''Pandaigdigang Paliparan ng Ninoy Aquino''; ), originally known and still commonly referred to as Manila International Airport (MIA), is the main ...

. In 1986, Marcos fled into exile and Ninoy's wife,

Corazon Aquino Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; ; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipina politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. She was the most prominent figure of the 1986 People P ...

, became the first female

President of the Philippines The president of the Philippines ( fil, Pangulo ng Pilipinas, sometimes referred to as ''Presidente ng Pilipinas'') is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of t ...

. His uncle Butz and aunt

Teresa Teresa (also Theresa, Therese; french: Thérèse) is a feminine given name. It originates in the Iberian Peninsula in late antiquity. Its derivation is uncertain, it may be derived from Greek θερίζω (''therízō'') "to harvest or re ...

also served as senators. His cousin,

Benigno Aquino III Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III (; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016. The son of ...

, was

elected Elected may refer to: * "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973 * ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008 *The Elected, an American indie rock band See also *Election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population ...

the 15th President of the Philippines in 2010, which he served until 2016. He is married to Maria Fatima Gomez. They have two daughters.

References

External links

*
Rags2Riches
(Accessed on February 25, 2017) * Arquiza, Yasmin D
“In new Cory-Ninoy docu: A lesson in letting go”
''GMA News Online''. (Accessed on October 23, 2012) * Legaspi, Amita
“Bam Aquino files COC for senator, says he won't be lapdog of cousin PNoy”
''

GMA News Online GMA Network, Inc., commonly known as GMA, is a Philippine media company based in Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines. It is primarily involved in radio and television broadcasting, with subsidiaries dealing in various media related businesses. ...

''. (Accessed on October 23, 2012) * Sauler, Erika
“Bam Aquino: I can serve Philippines better as senator”
''Inquirer News''. (Accessed on October 23, 2012) {{DEFAULTSORT:Aquino, Bam 1977 births Living people

Bam Aquino Paolo Benigno "Bam" Aguirre Aquino IV (, born May 7, 1977) is a Filipino politician and social entrepreneur who served as a Senator of the Philippines from 2013 to 2019. He is a member of the prominent Aquino family in the Philippines. Pre-p ...

People from Manila People from Tarlac Ateneo de Manila University alumni Filipino television personalities Liberal Party (Philippines) politicians Senators of the 16th Congress of the Philippines Senators of the 17th Congress of the Philippines Campaign managers