Benigno Aquino III, former Philippine President, was the son of pro-democray icons and helped to overthrow dictator Ferdinand Marcos. He was a champion of good governance and took China’s vast territorial claims to an international tribunal. He was 61.
Aquino’s family stated that Aquino died in his sleep due to “renal failure secondary diabetes” at a press conference. Rogelio singson, a former Cabinet official, said Aquino was currently undergoing dialysis and was getting ready for a transplant.
Pinky Aquino Abellada, the sister of the late president and struggling to contain her tears, said “Mission accomplished Noy”, and that she was happy now with Dad, Mom, and Dad.
Condolences were sent by politicians including President Rodrigo Duterte, the dominant Catholic Church, and Sen. Imee Marques, the daughter of the late dictator. On government buildings, the Philippine flag was reduced to half-staff.
U.S. Embassy Charged’ Affaires John Law stated in a statement that they were saddened by the passing of President Aquino and would always be grateful for their partnership.
“Noynoy was a simple and kind soul, beyond politics and public acrimony. Marcos, who used Aquino’s nickname to describe Marcos, said that he will be greatly missed.
Aquino was president from 2010 to 2016. He was the heir to a family that was considered a stronghold against authoritarianism in the Philippines.
In 1983, his father, Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. was assassinated while he was in military custody at Manila’s international airport. The airport now bears his name. His mother Corazon Aquino led the 1986 “people’s power” rebellion that overthrew Marcos. This army-backed revolt was a sign of popular rebellions against dictatorial regimes around the world.
Aquino was the scion of a land-owning political family in the northern Philippines. He was affectionately known as Noynoy, or Pnoy, by many Filipinos. His image is that of an incorruptible politician who fought poverty and frowned upon excesses of the country’s elites. His first order that persisted throughout his presidency was to ban sirens from vehicles carrying VIPs through Manila’s notorious traffic jams.
As president, Aquino had trouble relating to China because of his family’s exile in the U.S. under Marcos. Aquino approved the filing of a claim before an international arbitration tribunal to challenge China’s claims in the strategic waterway Beijing claimed virtually all of the South China Sea in 2012. This was after China had seized a disputed spot in 2012.
Aquino stated to The Associated Press that “we will not be pushed around” because we are a small state compared to theirs. “We believe we have very strong grounds to say “do not invade our territory.”
The Philippines won a large part of the case. China declined to participate in the arbitration, and the tribunal’s 2016 decision was dismissed as a sham. This invalidated Beijing’s claims that they were based on a 1982 U.N. marine treaty. The legal challenge by Aquino and the final ruling sank relations between Beijing-Manila to an all time low.
Aquino was born in 1960, the third of five siblings. He never married and has no children. He graduated in economics and pursued business opportunities prior to entering politics.
After his mother’s turbulent presidency, Aquino was injured by gunfire in a failed coup attempt by rebel soldiers to seize the Malacanang presidential palace. Three of his security guards were killed. A bullet was still embedded in Aquino’s neck.
In 1998, he was elected to the House of Representatives. He served there until 2007 before attempting to run for the Senate. In September 2009, Aquino declared his presidential candidacy. He said he was responding to the call of the people and wanted to carry on his mother’s legacy. Only weeks before, she had succumbed to colon cancer.
His victory was marked by a battle cry, “without the corrupt there won’t be people poor.” He called ordinary Filipinos “boss”, and offered to serve as their servant. His friends said that he carried around a copy the Philippine Constitution in his pocket all the time, which was a testament to his belief that no one is above law.
His victory was also seen by many as a protest vote, due to his frustration with the corruption scandals of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, his predecessor. Before the Supreme Court cleared Arroyo of all charges, she was held for almost five years. Arroyo was later elected House speaker under Duterte.
The expectations of Aquino were high. While Aquino took action against corruption, including detaining Arroyo along with three senators of power, and launched anti-poverty programmes to combat poverty, the deep-seated inequalities in the Southeast Asian nation that was ravaged by decades-old Muslim and communist insurgencies and the weak institutions were too overwhelming.
Aquino expanded a program that provided cash dole-outs for the poorest, in return for parents’ commitments to send their children to school. The government’s partnership agreements allowed big business to finance large infrastructure projects like highways and airports, which they then used for long-term gains.
Aquino was a major success in signing a 2014 peace agreement with the largest Muslim separatist rebel organization, the Moro Islamic Liberty Front. It ended decades of fighting in the country’s south, the homeland of minor Muslims living in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation.
Opponents made a lot of missteps. This included a Manila bus hostage crisis that saw eight Chinese tourists killed by a disgruntled officer and delays in recovering from the terrible aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan 2013.
In 2015, Aquino was heavily criticised for not attending a ceremony at Manila’s air base to welcome the remains of police officers who were murdered by Muslim insurgents in a covert raid that claimed the death of one of Asia’s most wanted terror suspects. Aquino continued with the scheduled inauguration for a car manufacturing facility, which triggered criticism that he was lacking empathy.
Aquino’s single six-year term was short and he retained high approval ratings. The rise of Duterte the populist, who has been responsible for thousands of deaths from illegal drugs, was a stark reminder of the public’s dissatisfaction with Aquino’s reformist regime.
Aquino supported Duterte and warned that he could become a dictator who could reverse the economic and democratic momentum he had achieved during his term.
Time magazine named Aquino one of the 100 most influential people worldwide in 2013. They praised him for stabilizing an economy that was in decline and for confronting China in the South China Sea dispute.
Aquino left office and stayed out of politics and the public eye.
Four sisters survived him. His cremated remains will be taken to Ateneo de Manila University on Friday for a one-day public visit.
