Tributes pour in for Benigno Aquino, the Philippine president who stood up to China

Aquino, who died on Thursday, has been hailed for his legacy of economic growth and Manila’s 2016 arbitral victory over Beijing in the South China Sea dispute

His death has also sparked social-media speculation that his sister Kris will continue the family’s storied political legacy in next year’s election

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Benigno Aquino III reviews honour guards during the Philippine Navy’s 118th anniversary at a port in Manila, Philippines, in 2016. Photo: EPA

Published: 10:28pm, 24 Jun 2021Updated: 7:53am, 25 Jun 2021

Tributes have poured in for former Philippine president Benigno Aquino III after his death on Thursday morning, amid intense speculation over the impact of his passing on the country’s election next year.

Aquino, 61, “died peacefully in his sleep” of renal disease secondary to diabetes, his elder sister Aurora “Pinky” Aquino-Abellada said on behalf of the family.

Shocked friends and foes alike praised “Noynoy” or “PNoy”, as he was popularly called, for his character and legacy, which included the successful pursuit of an arbitration case against Beijing over territorial disputes in the South China Sea and the economy’s consistent growth during his tenure as president from 2010 to 2016.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday evening expressed his “heartfelt condolences” to the Aquino family and signed a presidential proclamation declaring 10 days of national mourning.

“In an earlier press statement, he urged the nation to “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 … his memory and his family’s legacy of offering their lives for the cause of democracy will forever remain etched in our hearts”.

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Former Philippine president Benigno Aquino dies at 61

Duterte in 2017 threatened to behead Aquino after he pointed out that despite the current president’s deadly war on drugs, the number of drug addicts had barely changed from before Duterte assumed office in 2016.