MANILA, Philippines (Updated 5:38 p.m.) — Juan Ponce Enrile, a storied politician with a controversial history, died on Thursday, November 13, at the age of 101.
His daughter Katrina Ponce Enrile confirmed his death in a Facebook post. Enrile had been confined in the intensive care unit, battling pneumonia.
“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,” she said.
“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.
Katrina said that her father dedicated his life to public service. She asked the public for understanding as the family grieves privately.
A public viewing will be held with the family announcing details soon.
During the Senate’s plenary session on Tuesday, November 11, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, Enrile’s co-accused in the pork barrel scam, said he had a credible source indicating that the former Senate president was in critical condition.
“I heard from a reliable source, a very very reliable source, that he has slim chances of surviving. And I hope that all of us here present can have a short prayer to be led by Sen. Joel Villanueva,” Estrada said.
A power player
Enrile, born on Valentine’s Day in 1924, had seen more than a hundred years of the country’s history. He was alive to see nearly all of the presidencies to have ever existed since the Philippines’ independence.
His life could span an entire library, with his legacy including the cultivation of power for two Marcoses.
Enrile first started working for a Marcos when he was taken under the wind of then senator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
Eventually, Enrile held several key government positions, including Bureau of Customs chief and then as the secretary of national defense. He had been one of the would-be dictator’s most trusted men.
In 1972, Enrile, still the defense minister, was ambushed. This became one of the pretexts for Martial Law. However, it is widely believed that Enrile’s ambush is staged.
Martial Law, dubbed as the darkest period in Philippine history, cracked down on activists, curtailed media freedom and plunged the country into massive debt.
At least 3,200 people were killed during Martial Law, with 70,000 others imprisoned and 32,000 tortured.
Decades into Marcos Sr.’s term, however, Enrile himself would become a key figure in ending the dictatorship and ousting him.
Enrile and the would-be president Fidel Ramos lead a failed coup against Marcos Sr. When Enrile and his troops were cornered, he called the late Cardinal Jaime Sin for help.
Sin called on the masses to organize in EDSA, triggering the People Power Revolution which ousted the Marcos family.
The former Marcos Sr. aide would also serve as the Defense Minister to the late president Corazon Aquino. However, Enrile would be sacked after being tagged in a failed coup against Aquino.
During his term as a senator, Enrile was implicated in two different corruption controversies. One of them was the decade-defying pork barrel scam, where the Priority Development Assistance Funds were allegedly channeled through ghost organizations and into the pockets of legislators. This kickstarted a years-long trial at the Sandiganbayan.
After spending a few years as a Senate president, Enrile could not be kept away from politics, even when he neared a century old.
Despite Enrile helping oust his father, Marcos Jr. appointed Enrile as the chief presidential legal counsel in 2022.
During his stay in Marcos Jr.’s Cabinet, Enrile’s corruption case was dismissed.
While no one could deny his legal prowess, Enrile left behind a long history riddled with power plays, corruption scandals and political turmoil.
