Chief Presidential Legal Counsel and former Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile passed away on Thursday, November 13, at the age of 101.
“It is with profound love and gratitude that my father, Juan Ponce Enrile, peacefully returned to his Creator on November 13, 2025, at 4:21 p.m., surrounded by our family in the comfort of our home,” his daughter Katrina announced on Facebook. “It was his heartfelt wish to take his final rest at home, with his family by his side. We were blessed to honor that wish and to be with him in those sacred final moments,” she added.
Born on February 14, 1924, in Gonzaga, Cagayan, Enrile—then named Juanito Furagganan—rose from poverty to become one of the country’s most enduring and polarizing political figures. He completed law at the University of the Philippines in 1953 as salutatorian and cum laude, later passing the bar the same year. His brilliance in corporate and trial law brought him into the orbit of Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who appointed him to key government posts after assuming the presidency in 1965.
Over a career spanning seven decades, Enrile served under seven Philippine presidents, holding positions that included finance undersecretary, customs chief, justice secretary, and defense minister. As defense chief, he was among the principal architects of Martial Law declared in 1972. In 1986, he defected from the Marcos regime and joined the opposition during the People Power Revolution.
Enrile later served multiple terms in both houses of Congress, including a stint as Senate president from 2008 to 2013, where he presided over the impeachment trial of then–Chief Justice Renato Corona. In 2014, he was charged with plunder and graft over the pork barrel scam but was granted bail on humanitarian grounds. In October 2025, he was cleared of all charges.
He is survived by his wife, Cristina Ponce Enrile, and their children, Juan Jr. and Katrina.
