By NG Seruela
Former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III passed away on Thursday (June 24) morning at the age of 61.
He was rushed to the Capitol Medical Center. In a statement, the Aquino family said that he died “peacefully in his sleep.” The family said his death was pronounced at 6:30 a.m. due to renal disease secondary to diabetes, per his death certificate.
In the statement, his family mentioned that the late president, known to the public as “Pnoy” (short for ‘President Noy’ and a play on the word ‘Pinoy’) had been going in and out of the hospital even before the pandemic.
They said “no words can express how broken [their] hearts are and how long it will take for [them] to accept the reality that he is gone.”
The family also expressed their gratitude towards his friends, doctors, loved ones, and especially the Filipinos who believed in him.
In an interview, former Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang said the late president’s remains were cremated, saying this is what the family wanted.
Media personality Kris Aquino, sister of the late president, confirmed the cremation of the late president’s remains, and announced that there will be a mass held at the Ateneo on Friday (June 25). Carandang said among the attendees at the mass will be some members of Aquino III’s cabinet.
Condolences from government officials
Many officials, including President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, mourned the passing of the former president. They also extended their condolences to the family and loved ones left by Aquino.
President Duterte said in a statement that PNoy’s memory and family’s legacy of “offering their lives for the cause of democracy” will never be forgotten.
“His memory and his family’s legacy of offering their lives for the cause of democracy will forever remain etched in our hearts,” he said.
“Let us all take this opportunity to unite in prayer and set aside our differences as we pay respects to a leader who has given his best to serve the Filipino people,” he encouraged.
In a statement, Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Leonen said he knew the late president as a “kind man, driven by his passion to serve our people, diligent in his duties, and with an avid and consuming curiosity about new knowledge and the world in general.”
Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso also shared his sentiments about the late president, writing, “He championed good governance reforms that promoted efficiency and reduced opportunities for corruption. The Philippines was cited as the fastest-growing economy in Asia during his administration,” he said.
In a statement, Domagoso described PNoy as “a pragmatic man who did the best with the cards that life had dealt him. He inspired us with his unexpected humility.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) also said the late president “elevated the country’s conduct of foreign relations, steered foreign policy towards a principled direction that earned international respect and esteem, and invigorated the foreign service with a collective sense of patriotism, commitment to service, and professionalism.”
Former President Noynoy Aquino was the 15th President of the Philippine Republic, serving from 2010 to 2016. – jlo
