Here’s How Former Philippine President Aquino’s Critics Reacted to His Death

Former Philippine President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, the son of pro-democracy champions in a country that has struggled to cast off its authoritarian legacies, died Thursday at the age of 61.

Aquino’s sisters said in a statement the former president died peacefully in his sleep at 6:30 am due to renal disease secondary to diabetes.

He had been undergoing dialysis and had a heart problem, according to media reports. The 15th president of the Philippines was in office from 2010 to 2016, and preceded the administration of current president Rodrigo Duterte.

Aquino was the only son of assassinated politician Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr. and former president Corazon Aquino, who replaced dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 after his two decades of iron-fisted rule and restored the country’s democratic traditions. 

His family connections to the 1986 People Power Revolution that helped overthrow Marcos stretched into contemporary politics.

Soon after Duterte took office, he allowed the clandestine burial of Marcos in the Heroes’  Cemetery in Metro Manila, which Aquino vehemently denied during his leadership. Aquino marched in a protest against it, though he largely avoided criticizing his successor.

Duterte has done the same, generally shying away from criticizing the former president, despite opposing stances on major political issues such as foreign policy, particularly China and the superpower’s aggression in the South China Sea, parts of which the Philippines calls the West Philippine Sea. Aquino was a member of the Liberal Party, an opposition party to Duterte’s PDP-Laban.

Duterte’s spokesperson Harry Roque offered a moment of silence during his press briefing on Thursday.

“We are grateful for the former President for his contribution and services to the country and we ask our people to offer a prayer for the former Chief Executive,” he said. 

Aquino’s other critics, and supporters of Duterte, were even quicker to express their condolences and messages of sympathy.

Duterte’s daughter, Sara, who is the mayor of Davao City, said she “is one with the nation in praying for the eternal repose of the soul” of Aquino. She ordered the Philippine flags in the city to be flown at half-mast. 

Even Marcos’ daughter, senator Imee Marcos, expressed her “heartfelt condolences” and said she “knew Noynoy as a kind and simple soul. He will be deeply missed.”

Jejomar Binay, who served as Aquino’s vice president although he was a member of the opposition, said, “Noynoy and I may have had political differences during the last few years of his term, but that will not diminish the many years of friendship between our families.”

Other close political allies of Duterte, such as his right-hand man and senator Bong Go, and Senator Ronald Dela Rosa were silent as of publication time. 

The supporters of Aquino and Duterte have historically been more than vocal about their criticism of each other’s leadership. But Aquino’s supporters asked for a pause from Duterte’s loyal followers, even just for a day.

Aquino’s allies also expressed their grief online.

Vice President Leni Robredo, a leading opposition figure and close ally of Aquino, said her heart was broken over the news of his death.

“He is a great friend and President. He tried to do what was right, even when it was not popular,” Robredo said in a statement posted to her Twitter account. 

Aquino was catapulted to the presidency after the death of his mother in 2009, becoming the Philippines’ first bachelor president. He ran on a platform of “Daang Matuwid” (Straight Path) and sought to tackle the country’s endemic corruption.

He dealt with many of the issues that would carry over into his successor’s term, including tensions with Beijing over territorial claims in the South China Sea. In 2013, the Philippines under Aquino took its maritime dispute with China to the United Nations-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration, but victory for the Philippines was not handed down until July 2016 when Duterte was already at the helm.

But problems and controversies during his administration hounded him and his political allies, some of whom failed to return to politics. Aquino was heavily criticized for his government’s handling of the impact of the 2013 super typhoon Haiyan, which left 6,300 dead.

The former commander-in-chief was also largely blamed for the deaths of 44 members of the police Special Action Force during what critics said was a botched operation that targeted an international terrorist in the southern Philippines. 

An economist, Aquino was credited with sweeping anti-corruption and economic reforms that resulted in the Philippines’ fastest economic growth in four decades. It was during Aquino’s time that the country earned its first credit rating in 2013.