The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and its community of artists, creatives, and production staff mourn with the nation the passing of former President Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” C. Aquino III. To express its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and friends, the flag of CCP together with the Philippine flag fly half-mast.
PNoy, the son of Senator Ninoy and former President Cory Aquino, passed away on June 24, 2021 after he was rushed to the Capitol Medical Center in Quezon City. He was 61.
Elected as the 15th president of the Philippines, succeeding Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, he served the country from 2010 to 2016.
In 2016, PNoy conferred the honor of being National Artist, the highest recognition given to Filipinos who have made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts, to nine distinguished artists, namely: Federico Aguilar Alcuaz and Francisco Coching for Visual Arts, Manuel Conde for film, Lazaro Francisco and Cirilo Bautista for Literature, Francisco Feliciano and Ramon Santos for Music, Alicia G. Reyes for Dance, and Jose Maria Zaragoza for Architecture.
It was also during his administration that the second edition of the “CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art” was green-lighted.