Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III, better known as PNoy or Noynoy, passed away on June 24, a few hours after we sent out our issue last week (Wednesday here in the US). While we missed out on the immediacy of the sad and unexpected news (we put out a new issue only once a week), we have the advantage of being able to wade through the countless tributes on print, social media, on videos and podcasts, in churches and Zoom gatherings, on giant electronic billboards and the personal recollections of those who knew him or didn't, and those who worked with him or were the beneficiaries of his policies.

The Philippines' 11th president after 1946, the 5th since his mother assumed the post after the people toppled the Marcos regime in 1986, had consistently high popularity ratings throughout his presidency, despite his being criticized as aloof, stoic and emotionless. Yet the stories now being told by his staff, particularly the writers who collaborated with him in crafting his public statements (one of whom was told by PNoy himself to please wait until he's dead to write about him), paints a different picture -- that of a meticulous boss who made sure he got the facts straight and the grammar correct in public, and a typical loner who craved his silences and his music, alone. So unlike regular politicians who want the limelight even if they're so unfit for it.

PNoy's legacy as leader of the country from 2010 to 2016 has been cemented with his death at 61 years old. The decency and integrity that he was known for, along with his administration's achievements -- I personally consider the passage of the Reproductive Health law, which had his unwavering support despite intense opposition from the Catholic Church, as his most sterling one -- are rightfully heralded and documented for posterity. That his critics continue to try to demean and defile his legacy with such ignorance and vulgarity only reminds us of how bereft we are of losing him. Ace journalist and journalism professor Sheila Coronel says it best: “There's now sort of a wave of nostalgia for a president who was honest, sincere, didn't curse and didn't kill, and who took governance seriously”.

For those of you who didn't know him or were not aware of his policies, here's a curated collection of links to stories about Noynoy Aquino, the president and the man: