Government officials, defense leaders, and members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) gathered Wednesday afternoon at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City for a necrological service honoring the late former Senate President and Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile.
Enrile’s casket received military arrival honors upon arrival before it was brought to the Bulwagang Tejeros at the AFP Commissioned Officers’ Club for a mass. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. later offered a eulogy and other officials followed suit during the memorial rites.
In attendance at the ceremony were Enrile’s former aides, family members, former senator and military officer Gregorio Honasan II and AFP Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. to name a few.
Enrile, who served as Minister of National Defense under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., was remembered for his enduring impact on national security, governance, and public service over a career that spanned generations.
Brawner, during his eulogy, recalled Enrile’s mentorship and guidance in matters of national defense, particularly amid maritime tensions and foreign influence challenges.
“He was a mentor. And he inspired me a lot to do good as a chief of staff. And one advice that stuck to my heart was when he said, ‘as chief of staff, it is your duty to make sure that our country is stable’,” Brawner said.
The AFP Chief said Enrile emphasized the need to strengthen territorial defense in addition to internal security. “We talked about the bullying tactics of China and their influence operations here in the country. And he told me, ‘don’t allow it. Do not let them prevail in our country,” Brawner shared.
“His life is a reminder that love of country is not measured by a moment, but by a lifetime… to work quietly when the public is not watching, and to stand firm when the nation most needs steadiness,” the AFP chief added, noting that Enrile’s words continue to guide him in his decisions.
Teodoro described Enrile as both a mentor and a member of his extended family. He noted that both their families entered public service in 1966 and shared an academic lineage through the University of the Philippines College of Law and Harvard Law School, where Enrile completed his Master of Laws and the International Tax Program.
He remembered Enrile’s early struggles, including surviving violent attacks in his youth and fighting in the war, despite never claiming veterans’ benefits.
“He survived several struggles,” Teodoro said, recounting how Enrile rebuilt his legal career after returning from Harvard and later confronted the upheavals of the First Quarter Storm, the communist insurgency, and separatist movements in Mindanao.
The defense chief emphasized the limited resources at the time: Mindanao had “one brigade, actually a brigade minus,” requiring reinforcements from Cebu to prevent the region from falling into unrest.
Teodoro also cited Enrile’s resilience through the 1974 economic and fuel crisis, political shifts, technological changes, and eventual health challenges.
“In all of these struggles… he had the indomitable spirit of never giving up,” Teodoro said. “He faced the struggle squarely, head on, looked it in the eye and said, ‘I’m trying to get you.’ And until age caught up with him, he had always succeeded.”
Enrile’s daughter, Katrina Ponce Enrile, expressed her gratitude to everyone who attended the service.
Reflecting on her father’s decades of service in Camp Aguinaldo. He was the longest serving Minister of National Defense our country has known.
“While history will debate his public life in its many chapters, there is one truth that transcended political lines. When leaders needed wisdom, regardless of party, ideology, or past, they found their way to my father’s door,” she said.
She noted that Enrile welcomed even those who once opposed him: “Those who had marched in the streets against him came, too. Because here’s what they knew: When you knock on Juan Ponce Enrile’s door with love for country in your heart, he would answer.”
Katrina emphasized that her father served as a “keeper of institutional memory,” helping prevent conflicts and redirect countless lives. “This was his final revolution, not of arms or loss, but of peace,” she said.
She admitted that her family felt the weight of grief as the year is about to end: “Personally, I do not feel like finishing the year with celebrations. But we must. Because my father believed that a nation’s strength lies not in mourning its giants, but in becoming them. The work continues, he would say. The Philippines continues.”
In closing, she vowed to preserve her father’s legacy: “We will not let his wisdom become sheer memory. We will not let his door close. We gather not to mourn the man, he would hate that, but to make a promise that the wisdom he gave so freely will not die with him.”
Enrile died on November 13, 2025 at the age of 101.
