Juan Ponce Enrile, the formidable Philippine political figure who served as defence chief during Ferdinand Marcos's authoritarian regime before dramatically switching sides to help overthrow the dictator, has died at 101.
His daughter, Katrina Ponce Enrile, confirmed he passed away on Thursday 13th November 2025 at home surrounded by family as he had wished. She revealed her father had recently been treated in intensive care for pneumonia.
A Political Life of Contradictions
Enrile's career spanned over half a century, making him one of the longest-serving officials in Philippine history. Born on 14th February 1924 in Cagayan province, he served multiple presidents in various high-ranking positions including justice minister, finance secretary, and customs commissioner.
He served three terms in the Senate, becoming its president from 2008 to 2013, and also represented Cagayan in the House of Representatives. Remarkably, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. - the son of the very leader Enrile helped overthrow - appointed him as chief presidential legal counsel in 2022 when Enrile was 98.
President Marcos Jr. described Enrile's death as marking "the close of a chapter in our nation's history" and praised him as "one of the most enduring and respected public servants our country has ever known."
Architect of Martial Law and Dramatic Defection
Enrile's most controversial role came as defence chief, a position he held when Marcos declared martial law in 1972. The regime cited increasing violent left-wing demonstrations and threats from Marxist guerrillas and Muslim separatists as justification.
However, opponents accused Marcos of using martial law to extend his grip on power amid growing discontent. The period became notorious for human rights atrocities, with thousands of Filipinos incarcerated, tortured, or disappearing - many never found to this day.
In a dramatic turn of events, Enrile broke with Marcos in 1986 after a failed coup attempt by military officers aligned with him. He joined forces with Fidel Ramos, then constabulary chief, who also withdrew support from the ailing president.
The People Power Legacy and Later Legal Battles
Millions of Filipinos converged on Manila's EDSA highway in February 1986 to protect Enrile and Ramos from Marcos's loyal forces. This "People Power" uprising eventually forced Marcos and his family into US exile and became a symbol of change against authoritarian regimes worldwide.
Enrile's later years weren't without controversy. In 2014, he surrendered after being indicted for allegedly receiving huge kickbacks from a scam diverting millions from anti-poverty funds. After a year of detention, the Supreme Court granted him bail for humanitarian reasons in 2015. He was cleared of graft charges just last month following a lengthy trial.
The Department of National Defence, where Enrile served longest as chief, paid tribute by flying flags at half-staff, stating his "long and storied career in public service marked profound changes in our nation's history."
Despite the democratic transition he helped engineer, the Philippines continues to grapple with poverty, inequality, and unresolved historical injustices that fuel ongoing political divisions.
