Former Philippine President Benigno Aquino dies

Manila, June 24: Former Philippine President Benigno Aquino died on Thursday after being rushed to hospital in Manila.

Aquino was in office from 2010 to 2016. He was the only son of two of the Philippine's most revered democratic figures.

Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin took to Twitter to express his condolences.

"I'm out of Twitter from grief over the death of a sea-green incorruptible," he wrote.

He said the former president was "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".

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Supreme Court justice Marvic Leonen, who was Aquino's former peace adviser, also issued a statement.

"It is with profound sadness that I learned this morning of the passing of former Pres. Benigno Aquino," he said.

"It was an honor to have served with him. He will be missed."

The cause of his death was not immediately clear.

Flags were flying at half mast on the senate building in Manila.

Who was Aquino?

Popularly called "Noynoy", Aquino was the only son of the late former president Corazon Aquino and her assassinated husband, senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino — both hailed for leading the struggle to restore democracy in the archipelago nation.

Aquino came to power with a mass public support after the death of his mother in 2009.

He executed an anti-corruption agenda during his term and introduced key economic reforms.

Source: DW