Former President Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III speaks before an audience during a democracy forum held on March 26, 2019 in Cebu.
(Updated, 10:30 a.m.) MANILA, Philippines – Former President Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III has passed away, former Malacañang officials said Thursday morning.
He was 61.
Aquino died at 4:30 a.m. on Thursday at the Capitol Medical Center in Quezon City, said a source who served as a senior Cabinet official during the administration of former President of Corazon Aquino.
Aquino served as the country’s 15th president from 2010 to 2016.
It was during his administration when the Philippines filed an arbitration case before the United Nations-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague against China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea.
The court ruled in favor of the Philippines in its landmark decision in July 2016.