Former President of Philippines Benigno passes away at 61

Benigno Aquino was president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016 and was the only son of two of the Philippines' most revered democratic icons.

He was commonly known as Noynoy and rode a wave of public support to the presidency after the death of his mother, who was herself president from 1986 until 1992.

His namesake father who was a senator and opposed the rule of strongman Ferdinand Marcos, was assassinated when he returned home from political exile in 1983.

The killing shocked the whole nation and helped propel Marcos out of office in the 1986.

Between 1998 and 2007, he was a three-term member of the House of Representatives and represented the sugar-growing Tarlac province north of Manila.

Philippine Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin took to twitter to express his condolences over the demise of Benigno Aquino.

"Brave under armed attack, wounded in crossfire, indifferent to power and its trappings, and ruled our country with a puzzling coldness but only because he hid his feelings so well it was thought he had none," the caption read.

none; it was the way he and his siblings were raised by a great woman—their mother and of our restored democracy (without her none in power yesterday and today would be). She created the democratic space that made it possible. She believed that one must never let oneself go

— Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) June 24, 2021

In 1987, he carried bullet wounds in an attempted military coup against his mother’s administration, during which he was shot five times.

In 2013, Aquino had to deal with the devastation left by Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful typhoons ever recorded.

The super typhoon destroyed towns and villages in the central Philippines, killing more than 6,000 people.

The 61-year old was also known for filing a landmark arbitration case against China over the disputed ‘South China Sea’.