How will Benigno Aquino be remembered? Here are 10 events that shaped his presidency

The Philippines holds elections on Monday to choose a successor to President Benigno Aquino. Here are 10 crucial victories and setbacks that came to define his six years in office:

● Barely two months in office, Aquino faces his first major crisis when a disgraced policeman takes a busload of Hong Kong tourists hostage. The gunman and eight hostages are killed in a hail of gunfire hours later in a bungled police rescue operation that deeply embarrasses the young administration and strains ties with the Chinese territory for years.

● Aquino makes good on a vow to have his predecessor and arch-rival Gloria Arroyo arrested and stand trial for vote fraud. When the country’s chief justice, Renato Corona, takes steps to get Arroyo bailed, Aquino allies have him impeached and removed from office. Arroyo remains under house arrest for the rest of Aquino’s term as the trial drags on with little progress.

● Aquino signs a landmark law mandating the state provide free contraceptives to poor couples and teach sex education in schools, defeating years of opposition by the dominant Roman Catholic church.

● Once regarded as Asia’s basket case, the Philippines wins its first investment-grade credit rating, with Fitch Ratings citing the political and economic reforms implemented under Aquino. Similar upgrades from Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s follow later that year.