(UPDATE) Former President Benigno Aquino was laid to rest Saturday beside his democracy icon parents, as the nation pondered his legacy, the future of his family in politics, and the effect of his passing on the 2022 elections.
The 61-year-old bachelor left no heir to carry the Aquino name and largely kept a low profile since the 2016 election campaign that saw his opponents highlight the missteps of his six-year rule. To the international community, he is reputed for turning the Philippines around from being Asia's "sick man".
"To the man we were so blessed to have as our brother, habang buhay ka namin ipagmamalaki, pasasalamatan, hahanap-hanapin at mamahalin," eldest sister Ballsy Aquino-Cruz said at the end of the funeral mass.
The urn bearing Noynoy Aquino's ashes was be placed beside the tombs of his parents -- former President Cory Aquino and former Sen. Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. Ninoy's death in 1983 was one of the catalysts of the 1986 People Power uprising that restored democracy and installed Cory in Malacanang. Cory's death in 2009 thurst Noynoy to the presidency in 2010.
Daang Matuwid: Pass or fail?
Aquino's Daang Matuwid anti-corruption campaign restored the international community's confidence in the Philippines and rewarded it with investment grade ratings. He also pushed for birth control, higher taxes on sugary drinks and cigarettes (even if he was a chain smoker).
The son of Ninoy and Cory Aquino started negotiations that led to the current Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, ending the Moro Islamic Liberation Front's secession campaign. He also nearly sabotaged it, by authorizing an anti-terrorism raid that led to the death of 44 police commandos in Mamasapano, Maguindanao in 2015.
He was criticized for the slow rebuilding from Super Typhoon Yolanda in 2013 and the rollout of a dengue vaccination drive using French pharma Sanofi Pasteur's Dengvaxia despite safety concerns.
Aquino was not afraid of unpopular decisions, said Vice President Leni Robredo, who is now the most prominent member of his Liberal Party, and the broader opposition, after his death.
"No amount of historical distortion can change the truth: that every decision he made was oriented towards the betterment of the Filipino people," Robredo said.
A small group of friends and family will bury the urn containing Aquino's ashes after a 10 a.m. mass. He expired in the morning of June 24, in the family home at Times Street, which has come to symbolize the family's simple living despite being part of the political elite.
Aquino's silence after he retired from politics was a dignified one, said Archbishop Socrates Villegas in his homily."It is the silence of noble statesmen now rare and forgotten."
Villegas said he envied Aquino who crossed over to a place where "fake news have no place, trolls are dead, God's name is not blasphemed."
"He died as he lived. He abhorred fanfare. He slipped away quietly... Walang wang-wang. very PNoy and not surprising."
"The lights at Times Street have been distinguished, but there is no darkness," he said, referring to the Aquino family home in Quezon City.
The Aquinos symbolize democracy
The former president's namesake and father, ex-Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., was assassinated in 1983 and his death was one of the catalysts for the 1986 People Power uprising that toppled his nemesis, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The uprising thrust Ninoy's widow, Cory Aquino to Malacanang. Mrs. Aquino's death of cancer in August 2009 fueled calls for Noynoy to run for president, which he won handily.
"There’s only one word for that: democracy. Yan na yung karga mula sa tatay, nanay, hanggang kay Noynoy—no one can deny that their family stood up for democracy," said political analyst Ramon Casiple, executive director of the Institute for Political and Electoral Reform.
"Their family is a symbol of democracy. Yun yung legacy na mabigat," he said.
What's next for the Aquinos remains to be seen
With no one from the family to carry the Aquino name, what is the future of one of the most prominent families in Philippine politics? One that produced two presidents out of sympathy.
Noynoy Aquino is survived by his sisters -- Ballsy, Pinky, Viel, and Kris. Of the four, youngest child Kris is the most visible in the public eye and during her heyday was the self-proclaimed Queen of All Media.
Social media has long speculated over a possible showbiz-to-politics crossover for Kris Aquino but she always shot it down. But that was before her brother died. And that was before her much-publicized health woes.
"I wouldn't be surprised if she runs in the elections next year. As to what post, it's still too early to tell but she's the most likely one to take on the political mantle," political analyst Casiple said.
Should Kris stay on the sidelines, she could endorse candidates like cousin Bam Aquino, whose reelection bid for senator in 2019 was crushed by the administration coalition.
We'll have to see if necropolitics plays out
Aquino's passing could generate a lot of media mileage and sympathy for someone who is gunning for high office, said University of the Philippines political science professor Jean Encinas-Franco.
“Yung awa, yung sympathy makes it a very potent context for catapulting someone into the presidency,” she told reportr.
It's called necropolitics. Its most recent manifestation is Vice President Leni Robredo, who rode public sympathy following the 2012 death of her husband, then interior secretary Jesse Robredo. That's not to say that she's unqualified because four years later, she harnessed her grassroots background to win the second-highest post in the land.
“There are a lot of people, mostly women, who have been catapulted into office as a result of [someone's] death,” Encinas-Franco said.
In the case of Noynoy’s death, Encinas-Franco expects that people would be talking about his legacy for at least a month after his passing.
“People can't help it but to compare his administration to the present administration,” she said. “And if the Duterte camp has a sense of decency, they will not respond in a way that will sort of disparage the memory of the person who just died."