Noynoy Aquino on Time Magazine

While others are spending much to gain popularity and votes in the coming election, Noynoy Aquino seems to have scored another PR coup with him being put on the cover of TIME Magazine’s April 26, 2010 issue headlined "The New Aquino: Can Noynoy Save the Philippines?"

Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, Liberal Party's Presidential bet for May 2010 election was described by the highly respected magazine as "An unlikely man of the moment."

The article cited Aquino’s journey to the presidency after her mother, Cory Aquino, died of colon cancer and raised the question whether he would be able to "save the Philippines?" It also includes his family life, his singlehood and his struggle to convince voters to choose him over his rival Senator Manny Villar who was described as a "suave, smiling businessman with a rags-to-riches story.”.

TIME also sums up the events that led to Aquino’s presidential bid:

"By his own admission, Aquino would not be running at all had it not been for the massive outpouring of public grief and affection that followed his mother’s (former President Corazon Aquino) death from cancer last August,” Time reports. “He says he now walks the same path first trod by his revered parents. ‘They made automatic in me the preference to take up the cudgels for those who have less in life, for the powerless,’ [Aquino] says. 'Why should I veer away from their footprints?'"

TIME had featured Noynoy’s mom Mrs. Corazon Aquino thrice on its cover. The first was in 1986 when she was named Woman of the Year, the second in 2006 when she was named among 60 Asian Heroes, and last after she died in August 2009 when she was declared "The Saint of Democracy."