Enrile dies at 101

Juan Valentin F. Ponce Enrile Sr., a towering figure in Philippine politics whose government service spanned several administrations over decades, has died at 101.

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.”

“It was his heartfelt wish to take his final rest at home, with his family by his side,” Ms. Enrile said.

Mr. Enrile was a high-profile and enduring figure whose nearly six-decade career spanned seven administrations, serving in cabinet posts and, more prominently, as a senator.

He was admitted to an undisclosed hospital earlier this week for pneumonia and treated in the intensive care unit. On Wednesday, his daughter said doctors were giving him the “best possible treatment and attention.”

Mr. Enrile had advised President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. as his chief legal counsel since 2022. He had also served as minister for justice and defense under Mr. Marcos’ father and namesake.

He also served as a four-term senator and was the 21st Senate President from 2008 to 2013.

He was also among those implicated in the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam, where lawmakers had siphoned off funding from the Priority Development Assistance Fund. He was acquitted of charges last month. – Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio