Former Philippine President Benigno Aquino, the son of two of the Southeast Asian country’s democracy icons, died on Thursday after being hospitalised in Manila.
The 61-year-old was president of the Philippines from 2010to 2016.
"It is with profound sadness that I learned this morning ofthe passing of former Pres. Benigno Aquino," Supreme Courtjustice Marvic Leonen, who was appointed by Aquino in 2012, saidin a statement.
"It was an honor to have served with him. He will bemissed," the statement said.
Known popularly as Noynoy, he rode a wave of public supportto the presidency after the 2009 death of his mother, therevered "People Power" leader Corazon Aquino, who was herselfpresident from 1986 until 1992.
His namesake father, a senator who staunchly opposed therule of strongman Ferdinand Marcos, was assassinated when hereturned home from political exile in 1983.
The killing shocked the nation and helped propel Marcos outof office in the 1986 People Power revolution and ushered in hismother's presidency.
Aquino was an only son and worked in the family sugarbusiness before launching his political career in 1998.
He was a three-term member of the House of Representativesbetween 1998 and 2007, representing the sugar-growing Tarlacprovince north of Manila.
He still carried a bullet wound from a 1987 attemptedmilitary coup against his mother’s administration, during whichhe was shot five times and three of his bodyguards were killed.
Aquino's six-year term as president was not free fromcrisis, including in his fifth year in office when 44 commandoswere killed in a botched operation to capture a wanted Malaysianmilitant.
In November 2013, Aquino was also forced to deal with thedevastation left by Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerfultyphoons ever recorded. The super typhoon that ravaged towns andvillages in the central Philippines, killed more than 6,000people.
Despite some gains in tackling corruption, his Mr Cleanimage was tainted by scandals over the lawmakers' misuse ofpublic funds that same year.(Reporting by Enrico Dela Cruz and Karen LemaWrting by Kay JohnsonEditing by Ed Davies)