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The former Philippine President died in a Manila hospital. He was head of state from 2010 to 2016 and direct predecessor of incumbent President Rodrigo Duterte.
Former Philippine President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino died on Thursday in Manila after being hospitalized, according to media reports. Aquino was the Philippines’ head of state from 2010 to 2016 and predecessor to controversial incumbent President Rodrigo Duterte.
The Aquino family is among the most famous families in the Philippines. “Noynoy” was the only son of the late former President Corazon Aquino and her assassinated husband, Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, who led the democracy movement to overthrow dictator Ferdinand Marcos in the 1980s.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin declared on Twitter his “sadness at the death of an incorruptible.” Aquino launched an anti-corruption campaign during his tenure and instituted major economic reforms. He benefited from his family’s reputation and achieved average annual economic growth of just over six percent during his tenure, the highest since the 1970s.
Aquino was born on Feb. 8, 1960, the son of one of the country’s wealthiest landowning political families. He entered the presidential race as a latecomer in 2010 after his mother died of cancer the year before.
“Noynoy” was initially ridiculed by political rivals as inexperienced, but went on to make a name for himself as a confident orator and was seen as a fierce critic of his predecessor, Gloria Arroyo, who was later arrested for corruption. Aquino was unmarried and had no children.
— hector pascua/picture: tah.de
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