According to many news reports and Al Jazeera news, the former president of the Philippines, Benigno Aquino III, died after a long illness.

According to news reports, Aquino has undergone dialysis for at least five months and has recently undergone heart surgery. According to ABS-CBN News, he was hospitalized early on Thursday.

Jamela Alindoan of Al Jazeera reported from the capital Manila that sources confirmed Aquino’s death.

Aquino, 61, Served as the 15th President of the country From 2010 to 2016, he was succeeded by the current President Rodrigo Duterte.

Aquino’s family has not yet issued an official statement, but his former spokesman Abigail Walter told reporters in Manila that a statement will be issued on Thursday.

‘Deep sadness’

Supreme Court Justice Marvic Leonen, appointed by Aquino in 2012, said in a statement: “I am deeply saddened to learn that former President Benigno Aquino III has passed away this morning. .”

“I know he is a kind person, driven by his enthusiasm for serving the people. I saw him earning his title with dignity and integrity,” added Leoning, who also served as Aquino and Peace negotiator of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Harry Roque, Duterte’s spokesman, stated that the country “thanks to the former president for his contribution and service to the country.”

The European Union Office in Manila said in a statement: “We mourn a friend who pushed to deepen our relationship.”

The German Embassy in Manila also issued a separate statement praising Aquino for his role in “strengthening” the relationship between the Philippines and Germany during his tenure.

The Chargé d’affaires of the US Embassy in Manila, John Rowe, expressed condolences to Aquino’s family and added that his government “will always thank us for our partnership with the Philippines”.

The highs and lows of the office

It was during Aquino’s administration that Manila contended with China and filed a lawsuit with the Hague International Court of Arbitration over disputes over the South China Sea.

One month after Aquino’s retirement in 2016, the Philippines won this landmark case.

Witnessed by his six-year tenure The country’s economy grows steadily.

But he also faces controversy, including allegations of mismanagement after Typhoon Haiyan killed more than 6,000 people in 2013.

Although known as a personal integrity, his name was tarnished after criticism and opposition Release of reallocated public funds To his allies in Congress.

He also approved a controversial government action that resulted in the death of 44 commandos while hunting down a wanted Malaysian armed leader in southern Mindanao.

In the absence of official announcements and orders, the flags of public and private places were lowered to half mast. When the public loses the passing moment, so in the final liquidation, they undoubtedly know the people who have served them faithfully and honorably. pic.twitter.com/0spMVtsaRb

— Manuel L. Quezon III (@mlq3) June 24, 2021

That incident undermined the peace agreement reached between Aquino and Muslim rebels during his tenure.

Aquino is also nicknamed Noynoy in the Philippines, and is the only son of two democratic icons in the country.

After dictator Ferdinand Marcos was overthrown in 1986, his mother, the late former President Corazon Aquino, took power. During the failed military coup in 1989, he escaped the assassination of rogue soldiers while trying to protect his mother.

Aquino’s father and former Senator Benigno Aquino Jr of the same name were killed at Manila International Airport after returning from exile in 1983. The assassination was seen as the driving force for the popular uprising and Marcos’s step down three years later.

Before being elected president in 2010, Aquino served as a senator from 2007 to 2010, and from 1998 to 2007 as a member of Congress representing Tarak.

His mother died at the end of 2009, which caused Aquino to become president in the 2010 election.

After leaving office in 2016, Aquino has kept a low profile because Duterte’s allies continue to criticize him. Facing legal charges Related to the killing of commandos in 2015. He was also the target of online attacks by Duterte supporters.

Aries Arugay, a professor of political science at the University of the Philippines, said in an interview with Al Jazeera that Aquino’s death “is worth reminding that the Philippines needs to find the true north—democracy and human rights.”