Former President of the Philippines Benigno S. Aquino III, Dies at 61

Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III, better known as “Noynoy," was born on February 8, 1960. From 2010 until 2016, he served as the Philippines' 15th President. Aquino was a fourth- generation politician from the Aquino family. PNoy was a political royalty in the Philippines. He was the son of two political legends.

His demise was verified by his family yesterday afternoon, June 24. The cause of death, as said by his sister Pinky Aquino-Abellada, was "renal disease secondary to diabetes." The Former President died quietly in his sleep on Thursday morning. His sisters, Maria Elena (Ballsy), Aurora Corazon (Pinky), Victoria Elisa (Viel), and Kristina Bernadette (Kris), expressed gratitude to PNoy’s supporters.

EARLY YEARS OF LIFE

He is the third of five children born to the then-vice governor of Tarlac Benigno Aquino Jr. and Corazon Cojuangco, daughter of a notable Tarlac businessman. After his mother died in 2009, former President Corazon C. Aquino, Noynoy formally declared his candidacy in the 2010 presidential election. At the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park, Manila, on June 30, 2010, he was sworn in as the 15th President of the Philippines, succeeding Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

He has also been referred to in the media as "PNoy" since the beginning of his presidency.

POLITICAL CAREER

Aquino was a member of the Liberal Party. He served as Secretary-General and Vice President for Luzon, among other posts. From 1998 to 2010, he served in the House of Representatives and the Senate. He also served as the House of Representatives' deputy speaker from 2004 to 2006.

PNoy achieved a resounding victory in the 2016 Presidential Elections on the promise of stable government and the elimination of corruption. He was also the first president to make a State of the Nation speech in Tagalog, the most widely spoken language in the Philippines, in an effort to connect with ordinary Filipinos. Average economic growth reached 6.0 percent under the Aquino Administration, the greatest in recent years, earning the country investment-grade status from rating agencies. The Philippine economy expanded at a pace of 6.9% in the first quarter of 2016, just before the conclusion of his tenure, which was the fastest in Asia at the time.

The passage of a reproductive rights law that made contraception easily available to the poor was one of his significant accomplishments. To do so, he had to overcome decades of opposition from the strong Roman Catholic church in a predominantly Catholic country. (SOURCE: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/23/world/asia/benigno-aquino-III-dead.html) The former President also received many criticisms.

MANILA HOSTAGE CRISIS

This happened on August 23, 2010, when Rolando Mendoza, a dissatisfied former Philippine National Police officer, hijacked a tourist bus in Rizal Park, Manila, Philippines. Twenty visitors, a Hong Kong tour guide, and four local Filipinos boarded the bus. Mendoza claimed that he was fired unfairly and requested a fair hearing so that he could explain himself.

Negotiations came to a halt approximately ten hours into the standoff when the police detained Mendoza's brother, prompting the suspect to open fire. Mendoza and eight hostages were killed, and numerous others were injured after a 90-minute gunfight. The whole country witnessed this tragic event. This crisis was shown live on television and the internet.

The event was investigated separately by the Philippine and Hong Kong governments. Both investigations found that the eight hostages died due to Philippine officials' inadequate handling of the incident.

On August 24, 2010, Aquino signed Proclamation No. 23, designating August 25, 2010, as a national day of mourning.

In addition, Aquino instructed all public institutions across the country and all Philippine embassies and consulates abroad to lower the country's flag at half-mast in honor of the eight Hong Kong residents who died in the crisis. Aquino acknowledged responsibility for the situation on September 3, 2010.

TYPHOON HAIYAN (YOLANDA)

Typhoon Haiyan, also known as Super Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines, was one of the most intense tropical cyclones ever recorded. Haiyan wreaked havoc on Southeast Asia, notably the Philippines when it made landfall. It is one of the worst typhoons in Philippine history, with at least 6,300 people killed in the nation alone.

President Aquino's administration was chastised for the government's "slow" reaction to the victims of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in November 2013.

MAMASAPANO MASSACRE

The Mamasapano clash was an incident that occurred on January 25, 2015. This took place at Tukanalipao, Mamasapano, Maguindanao, during a police operation codenamed Oplan Exodus by the Philippine National Police (PNP) Special Action Force (SAF) (allegedly joined by United States Army Special Forces) against the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation (MILF).

The mission was to apprehend or murder Zulkifli Abdhir, a wanted Malaysian terrorist and bomb builder and other Malaysian terrorists and BIFF high- ranking members. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamasapano_clash)

President Aquino has been accused of denying responsibility for the deaths of 44 Special Action Force agents in a botched mission that resulted in the "Mamasapano Massacre."

HEALTH

In December 2019, Aquino was admitted to Makati Medical Center for an executive checkup and regular unannounced procedures. He sought medical therapy for his ailment regularly after that. Finally, Aquino was admitted to Capitol Medical Center in Quezon City in the early hours of June 24, 2021. According to a relative, the former President was on dialysis when he had a heart attack.

Kris Aquino thanked President Rodrigo Duterte for offering condolences to the Aquino family.

The country's leader stated in a statement issued Thursday night, June 24, that he joins the people in grieving the former President's death. The Philippine News Agency published President Duterte’s statement on their Facebook page. His statement included the following passage:

“I express my deepest sympathies to his siblings, Ballsy, Pinky, Viel, and Kris, as well as to all his loved ones, friends, and supporters, in this period of sadness."

“May you take comfort in the knowledge that he is now in a better place with his Creator.”

In Closing

Being a country's leader is a difficult task. Accepting this kind of responsibility necessitates a great deal of inner strength, courage, and determination. But, unfortunately, there is no such thing as a perfect way to run a country.

Related Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benigno_Aquino_III (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamasapano_clash) https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/23/world/asia/benigno-aquino-III-dead.html https://asiasociety.org/new-york/video-asia-society-leaders-discuss-arrival-philippines-president-benigno-s-aquino-iii