Manila  - Only a month ago, Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III was a low-key player in the Philippine political arena and seemed destined to live in the shadows of his illustrious parents.

The 49-year-old son of late democracy icon and ex-president Corazon "Cory" Aquino and assassinated senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr had never registered among possible presidential candidates in next year's elections.

But his political fortunes took an abrupt turn last month amid mounting calls for him to run for president in 2010 following the death of his mother after a year spent battling colon cancer.

The multitudes that gathered at Cory Aquino's wake and joined her 14-hour funeral march thought Noynoy Aquino would be the best antidote to the perceived machinations of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and her allies to perpetuate themselves in power beyond 2010.

Shortly after Cory Aquino's burial, a group of lawyers who supported her successful campaign against then-dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 elections, launched a nationwide signature campaign to persuade her son to run for president.

The push for Noynoy Aquino to run for president reached a fever pitch Tuesday when fellow senator and political partymate Mar Roxas, who has already spent hundreds of millions of pesos to boost his own presidential bid, announced he was giving way to Noynoy Aquino's candidacy.

"This is the hardest decision I ever made in my life," Roxas said. "Whether you believe it or not, I do this for the country. I do this for unity in support of change. Our nation is in trouble. Leadership is bankrupt. Institutions are in disarray. People are hungry."

Catholic priest and provincial Governor Ed Panlilio, who also expressed his desire to run for president, said he would graciously give way to Noynoy Aquino should he decide to run for the country's highest office.

Panlilio expressed hope that reformist groups around the country would rally behind Noynoy Aquino, who has remained coy about his political plans.

The bachelor told supporters that he still needed to consult his family and pray for discernment and divine guidance about joining next year's presidential race.

He, however, vowed never to turn his back on the challenge of defending democracy, which, he said, is being threatened by the self-interest of a few in the ruling clique.

"I will never turn my back on this fight," he said despite mixed reactions to his probable presidential bid. "I hope you'll join me in this fight."

Political analyst Conrado De Quiros took exception to criticism, mostly from allies of Arroyo, that Noynoy Aquino does not have the experience and track record to rule the country.

De Quiros said such comments bring back memories of the 1986 snap election when Marcos and his allies dismissed Cory Aquino as a plain housewife whose only experience in politics was making coffee for friends of her husband.

"Moral pygmies will always try to look like historical giants," he said. "Arroyo deserves to be president? Only if you call a talent for theft - even of the vote - a natural qualification for it."

Arroyo, president since 2001, is in her final term in office - a term that has been dogged by allegations of corruption and rigging the 2004 presidential vote.

Noynoy Aquino is the only son in a brood of five children and was a three-term congressman when he was elected senator in 2007.

He has always put a premium on his family, preferring to be a dedicated son to his mother, a reliable brother to his sisters and a doting uncle to nephews and nieces, before any political ambition.

Still a bachelor, Noynoy Aquino explained that he promised his father, who was jailed for several years under Marcos' rule before being gunned down in 1983, that he would take care of the family.

During a coup d'etat against her mother's government in August 1987, Noynoy Aquino was hit by five bullets when renegade soldiers attacked the presidential palace.

Noynoy Aquino did not enter politics until 1992, when her mother stepped down from the presidency.

Gary Olivar, one of Arroyo's spokesmen, dared Noynoy Aquino to be his own man if he is serious about joining the presidential race. He also faulted the young Aquino for riding on the popularity of his parents.

But Noynoy Aquino said he is proud of his parents and has no plans of dissociating himself from their contributions in bringing back democracy to the country.

Ramon Casiple, chairman of the Consortium for Electoral Reforms, said Noynoy Aquino's entry into the 2010 presidential race would draw the line between reform politics and politics of patronage exemplified by the Arroyo administration. It would also force the other presidential candidates to reassess their own positions.

Analysts predicted a four-cornered fight in next year's presidential race among Noynoy Aquino; Vice President Noli De Castro, who was expected to be Arroyo's bet; real estate magnate and Senator Manuel Villar; and corruption-convicted former president Joseph Estrada. (dpa)