Benigno Simeon " Ninoy " Aquino Jr. ( November 27 , 1932 – August 21 , 1983 ) was a Filipino politician who served as a Senator of the Philippines ( 1967 – 1972 ) and governor of the province of Tarlac . He was the husband of former Philippine President Corazon Aquino and father of former Philippine President Benigno Aquino III . Aquino , together with Gerardo Roxas and Jovito Salonga , formed the leadership of the opposition towards then President Ferdinand Marcos . Shortly after the imposition of martial law , he was arrested in 1972 along with others associated with the Communists ' armed insurgency and incarcerated for seven years . He founded his own party , Lakas ng Bayan , and ran in the 1978 Philippine parliamentary election , but all of the party 's candidates , including Aquino , lost in the election . In 1980 , Aquino was permitted by Marcos to travel to the United States for medical treatment following a heart attack . He was assassinated at the Manila International Airport in 1983 upon returning from his self-imposed exile . His death catapulted his widow , Corazon , into the political limelight , and prompted her to successfully run for a six-year term as President as a member of the UNIDO party in the 1986 snap election
assassinated at the Manila International Airport
Assassination of Benigno Aquino Jr.
Benigno Aquino Jr.