Enrile, martial law supervisor, dies at 101

JUAN VALENTIN F. PONCE ENRILE, SR., who helped overthrow the late Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos, Sr. in 1986 after serving as his martial law administrator, has died. He was 101.

- By Norman P. Aquino Special Reports Editor and Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio Reporter

Mr. Enrile died at his residence on Thursday at 4:21 p.m., his daughter Katrina Ponce Enrile said in a Facebook post, adding he passed “surrounded by our family in the comfort of our home.”

“Tt was his heartfelt wish to take his final rest at home, with his family by his side,” she said.

The Harvard Law School-educated lawyer was a high-profile and enduring figure whose nearly six-decade government career left a footprint across seven administrations, serving in cabinet posts and the legislature.

He was admitted to an undisclosed hospital earlier this week for pneumonia and treated in the intensive care unit. Senator Jose “Jinggoy” P. Estrada, who broke the news during Tuesday's plenary session, earlier said he was told Mr. Enrile had “slim chances” of surviving.

On Wednesday, Ms. Enrile said doctors were giving him the “best possible treatment and attention.”

“His passing marks the close of a chapter in our nation’s history,” President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. said in a Facebook post. “But the mark he leaves behind in law, in governance, and in the hearts of those he served will never be forgotten.”

Mr. Enrile played a central role during one of the Philippines’ most turbulent periods and he helped shape national policy as the country reeled with the aftermath of martial law.