OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
CITY OF CHICAGO
RAHM EMANUEL MAYOR
May 6, 2015
TO THE HONORABLE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I transmit herewith a congratulatory resolution regarding President of the Philippim Aquino, III.
Your favorable consideration of this resolution will be appreciated.
Mayor
Very truly yours,
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Members of this Chamber are pleased and honored to welcome President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, the fifteenth President of the Republic of the Philippines, to the City of Chicago on May 6 and 7, 2015; and
WHEREAS, Born on February 8, 1960, in Sampaloc, Manila, President Benigno Simeon Aquino III is the fourth-generation scion of a distinguished and greatly admired Filipino political family, revered worldwide for its commitment to public service and to democracy. President Aquino's great-grandfather was a delegate to the Philippine Malolos Congress; his grandfather served as Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives from 1943 to 1944; and his parents were Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr., and President Corazon Aquino, two of the Philippines' most prominent political figures and icons of democracy; and
WHEREAS, Determined to make sure that his parents' sacrifices on behalf of a democratic Philippines would not be in vain, President Aquino entered public service in 1998 as a member of the Liberal Party. He served three consecutive terms as Representative of the 2nd District of Tarlac from 1998 to 2007, and, in May of 2007, he joined the Philippine Senate, where he sponsored numerous legislative initiatives anchored on the protection of human rights and honest and responsible government; and
WHEREAS, The death of President Aquino's mother in 2009 stirred in the Filipino people a remembrance of the democratic values Corazon Aquino and her husband had so fervently embraced. Immediately after her funeral, people began to urge her son to run for the presidency to continue his parents' work. On September 9, 2009, President Aquino officially announced his candidacy for that office, telling his supporters that: "I want to make democracy work not just for the rich and well connected but for everybody." On May 10, 2010, President Aquino won the presidential election by a wide margin. He assumed office as the fifteenth President of the Philippines on June 30, 2010; and
WHEREAS, Under President Aquino's guiding hand, the Philippines has experienced unprecedented economic growth, which has trickled down to the margins of society through improved government services, reforms in the education system, conditional cash transfers for the poor, an inspired campaign for good governance and justice, the prosecution of corrupt and abusive government officials, and the creation of an official presidential website to empower average citizens to participate in building a nation of hope and opportunity for all; and
WHEREAS, In 2013, President Benigno Simeon Aquino III was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by Time Magazine; and
WHEREAS, The City of Chicago is proud of its long history of friendship and cooperation with the Philippines. Filipinos are the fourth largest ethnic group in Chicago with more than 130,000 people living in the Chicago Metropolitan Area who claim Filipino or Filipino multiracial ancestry; and
WHEREAS, Chicago's Bataan-Corregidor Memorial Bridge, also known as the State Street Bridge, is dedicated to Chicagoans and other veterans who fought in the Philippines during World War II; and
WHEREAS, The award-winning "Wild Reef exhibit at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium, which was created using 17.5 million tons of sand imported from the Philippines, is modeled after the coral reefs there, the most diverse underwater ecosystem in the world; and
WHEREAS, The Field Museum of Natural History has an extensive collection of artifacts from the Philippines, organized in an exhibit called "10,000 Kwentos," meaning 10,000 Stories. This exhibit attracts thousands of people each year from around the world to admire and appreciate the many contributions Filipinos have made to our Nation; and
WHEREAS, The month of May is Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage month and Chicago is proud to host President Aquino in this celebration of cultural, civic and economic contributions of the Filipino community to our great City; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, assembled this sixth day of May, 2015, do hereby extend a warm welcome to Filipino President Benigno Simeon Aquino III and wish him a pleasant stay in Chicago; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, as a token of our respect and esteem.