Presidents, heroes, and causes of death

Today’s column is a continuation on the discussion of the humanity of our heroes, as mentioned in last week’s column on Manuel L. Quezon, as well as commemoration of the recently-concluded All Souls’ Day. It is also a way to pay tribute to our former leaders who have passed away, to have a peek into their official causes of death.

Understanding the causes of death of our heroes and presidents offers more than just historical detail --it provides us insights into the human realities behind their public lives. Each death, whether by illness, accident, or violence, reflects the era’s struggles, the risks they faced, and the legacies they left behind. To know how they died is to understand how they lived --their sacrifices, vulnerabilities, and the contexts that shaped the nation’s history. By studying these final moments, we gain a deeper appreciation of their courage and the lasting impact of their choices on the country they served.

For example, Jose Rizal, our greatest hero, was executed by firing squad (musketry) at Bagumbayan (Luneta) on December 30, 1896. Andres Bonifacio was executed by firing squad on May 10, 1897. Antonio Luna, another hero who was assassinated, died on June 5, 1899 in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija. Diego Silang was assassinated on May 28, 1763 by paid assassins, while his wife Gabriela Silang was also executed by hanging on September 20, 1763. Even Cebu’s celebrated hero, Pantaleon Villegas, more known as Leon Kilat, died according to church records due to “fallecio de muerte asesinado por insurrecto,” or died by assassination due to insurrection.

The earliest to die among our presidents was Manuel L. Quezon, who died at 10:05 A.M. on August 1, 1944 in Saranac Lake, NY, USA. His cause of death was given as pulmonary tuberculosis, from which he suffered for years.

Manuel A. Roxas’ death on April 15, 1948, as indicated in his death certificate, was due to coronary thrombosis, a condition where a blood clot (thrombus) forms in one of the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart muscle.

Elpidio Quirino, who died on February 29, 1956, officially died due to coronary artery disease with heart failure, with nephrosclerosis as a contributory condition.

A year later, on March 17, 1957, Ramon Magsaysay died. His death certificate states that his cause of death was traumatic shock (irreversible) due to airplane crash.

Jose P. Laurel’s death certificate gives his demise on November 6, 1959, caused by massive cerebral hemorrhage.

Sergio Osmeña’s death was on October 19, 1961 and his death certificate shows the most complete cause of death among our presidents: he died due to pulmonary edema, due to heart failure, due to arteriosclerotic hypertensive cardiovascular disease, with other significant conditions including uremia due to renal sclerosis and benign prostatic hypertrophy.

Emilio Aguinaldo’s death certificate also reflects more complete information on his demise. Dying on February 6, 1964, his cause of death was congestive heart failure, due to acute myocardial infarction, due to subcortical thrombosis, with other significant conditions including arteriosclerosis; general arteriosclerotic heart disease; and terminal bronchopneumonia.

Carlos P. Garcia died on June 14, 1971 due to acute coronary thrombosis.

Ferdinand Marcos died from cardiac arrest, with underlying conditions of heart, lung, and kidney diseases, complicated by lupus erythematosus, on September 28, 1989.

Diosdado Macapagal died of heart failure, pneumonia, and renal complications, on April 21, 1997.

Corazon C. Aquino died on August 1, 2009 after a year-long battle with was advanced colon cancer.

Corazon Aquino’s son, Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III's cause of death was renal disease secondary to diabetes, dying on June 24, 2021.

The most recent presidential death was Fidel V. Ramos, who died on July 31, 2022 due to COVID-19 Omicron variant.