I have to study, study, and study because I have to learn everything. Everyone expects me to be an expert on everything.
— Benigno Aquino III
In politics, you must learn to say 'no' without offending people. That is an art that one must master: to satisfy a person even when you have to say 'no' to him.
If my father Ninoy Aquino were alive today, he would say that he is not superman or superboy. In effect, heroes are really just ordinary people caught up in extraordinary times and respond properly.
There is a theory that China will tend to push, and if you bend, they will push some more.
The most powerful person can wind up in jail.
Typhoon Haiyan showed the entire world how vulnerable the Philippines as well as other developing countries are to natural disasters.
As far as same-sex marriage, I really would want to think about that a lot more given the fact that my focus would be always on the child. The innocent should not be given more even burdens than what is absolutely necessary.
We in the Philippines know we have to perform our own role in terms of promoting peace in the world. We are actually members of the U.N. peacekeeping forces in many areas.
If we say yes to something we believe is wrong now, what guarantee is there that the wrong will not be further exacerbated down the line?
The focus of my administration is, if somebody decides to work abroad, then it has to be from choice as opposed to necessity.
I think President Obama, like myself, is a multitasker.
The people want to go back to the time when democracy was in full bloom.
My administration's compact with the Filipino people will demand no less than the attainment of lasting peace and equitable prosperity. We will employ all the tools at our disposal to achieve this.
I am from the class that has, in a sense, benefited from the status quo, but everyone still gets victimized.
With proper governance, life will improve for all.
We will revive the emergency employment program established by former President Corazon Aquino. This will provide jobs for local communities and will help in the development of their and our economy.
I had a simple goal in life: to be true to my parents and our country as an honorable son, a caring brother, and a good citizen.
Pictorial is something that I am not used to. You have to pose, smile, bend your arm, straighten up, look to the left.
My obsession is to provide food and jobs to people in Tarlac. The province is primarily an agricultural province; food security tops the priority.
I didn't have any ambition to be president. It was fate. The people found me.
I've talked to so many people, so many institutions, about how China works.
I have never stolen. I am not a thief.
I can try to convince somebody else of my beliefs, but I should not be imposing.
My mother's style has always been consensus-generating.
We don't get typhoons in December. They normally end by September. A typhoon happening in October is considered a late event.
When the Walkman was the craze in my generation, I was one of the first to have it.
I started out in public service in 1998 after the Asian financial crisis of '97.
I am not concerned about getting reelected. I can make the unpopular but necessary decision. Your focus from day one is on your legacy rather than political considerations.
Perhaps the strongest signal of reengagement with Southeast Asia was the U.S.'s accession to the Southeast Asian Treaty of Amity and Cooperation.
Part of my mandate is to curb corruption and streamline a cumbersome, graft-ridden bureaucracy, to put resources where they will provide the clearest results, and to untangle a complicated regulatory environment.
I will not only not steal, but I will run after thieves.
Mom's paintings are a very small part of the legacy she left behind.
Although I was born to famous parents, I know and feel the problems of ordinary citizens.
When my father returned home on the twenty-first of August 1983, he had a speech prepared. Filipinos never got to hear it, because he was murdered right on the tarmac.
I'm not a coffee person.
Anytime emotions are involved, you cannot come up with an impartial and objective assessment of any given problem.
Strategic partnership is based on a shared set of values.
I try to put myself in others' shoes: How does any country give up any sovereignty and expect to survive as a government? I don't think that any Philippine president, or any leader for that matter, can afford to give up any portion of territorial sovereignty. That would be political suicide.
China itself has said repeatedly that they will and have been conforming to international law.
I believe nobody should be discriminated against.
While I accept that there are certain things about my private life that will always be of interest to the public, it would be better if you give the same amount of attention to issues that matter as well.
You may have the might, but that does not necessarily make you right.
One of the things my father taught me was you should not exclude those who are opposed to your ideas.
The Philippines is strategically located and blessed with the greatest resource: its people, who are hard-working, very loyal, and very adaptive.
I've been called 'hardheaded,' 'obstinate,' 'unreasonable,' etc.
As you may know, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, or MCC, awards grants only to countries which rule justly, promote economic freedom, and invest in their people.
The Philippines is for the Philippines. We can defend ourselves.
The mandate given to me was one of change.
I want to make democracy work not only for the rich and the well connected but for everyone.
My father offered his life so our democracy could live. My mother devoted her life to nurturing that democracy. I will dedicate my life to making our democracy reach its fullest potential: that of ensuring equality for all. My family has sacrificed much, and I am willing to do this again if necessary.
