The passing of Benigno Aquino III

PHILIPPINES - In Brief 24 Jun 2021 by Romeo Bernardo

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Manila woke up today to news of the death of former President Benigno Aquino III who served from 2010 to 2016. An accidental chief executive, he owed his election to his mother, democracy icon Corazon Aquino, who died in August 2009 just as the country was gearing up for election season. For six years, we covered his presidency in this space. Despite the many missteps and missed opportunities, his administration is recognized for maintaining macroeconomic stability, putting the Philippines back on foreign investors’ radar screen and bringing the economy to a higher 6-7% growth path. In 2013, Time Magazine named him one of its 100 most influential people in the world, notably for being “the face of the regional confrontation with Beijing over its claim to virtually all of the South China Sea.” This stance won for the country a UN arbitral award in connection with its sovereignty and rights under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). That award has since hounded his successor, current President Rodrigo Duterte, and is expected to be a central issue in next year’s elections.The former President’s passing at this time calls to mind the political careers of several national leaders, including Vice President Leni Robredo and Senator Grace Poe, who were relative unknowns until a death in the family thrust them into the limelight. Although the opposition could only hope that history would repeat itself and hand it a surprise winnable candidate, we think that the best one could hope for is a revival of the Aquino brand, best known for his parents’ sacrifice to return democracy to the country.