Pimentel tells Enrile :’That’s part of aging’

The claim of former senator Juan Ponce Enrile that no critic of former strongman Ferdinand Marcos Sr. was arrested during the martial law years was “part of aging,” said  former Senate president and martial law victim Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel on Friday.

Pimentel, who was jailed four times during the martial law years, said Enrile might have forgotten him.

“Maybe he has forgotten me. That’s part of aging,” Pimentel said in a federalism briefing in Malacañang.

“Maliwanag naman siguro na marami ang nakulong. As a matter of fact, hinuli ako, hindi ko nga malaman kung bakit hinuli ako. Pati ‘yung nag-aresto hindi nila malaman basta you are supposed to accompany us,” he added.

During a tête-à-tête with former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos on Thursday, Enrile said not one person was arrested because of  his political beliefs and for criticizing the late dictator Marcos.

READ:  Enrile: No massacres, no arrests for criticizing Marcos during martial law

“They claim that we killed a lot of people. When I was interviewed by someone some time ago, I challenged her, name me one that we executed, other than Lim Seng,”  Enrile said.

While he said Enrile was “entitled to his own,” Pimentel contradicted Enrile’s claim.

“Ang daming namatay, ang daming disappeared na mga kababayan natin. So ‘yan ang dapat ibigay natin siguro na pangungusap sa mga millennials na, ‘Uy, dahan-dahan po kayo sapagkat you must always remember that the end never justifies the means,’” he said.

Enrile, he said, “has always been a defender of martial rule.”

“Apparently, the idea of autocratic, you know, rule still persists in his mind that sometimes you have to be autocratic in order to bring about a better development for the nation. I disagree with that and I still maintain that you can achieve what is good for the people without depriving them of their liberties and their freedom,” he said.  

With his latest remarks, Pimentel said Erile was “cementing” his relationship with the Marcoses.

“I think among other things, he’s cementing his relationship with the Marcoses, to tell them ‘I am with you,’ and hoping, probably, that Bongbong will become president, eventually. Of course, without my vote,” he said.

Historical revisionism

Martial law victims and human rights groups have assailed Enrile for his supposed historical revisionism.

“Yun ang hindi natin pahintulutan,” Pimentel said.

During the a tête-à-tête, Enrile said millenials or the younger genaration were misinformed about Marcos’ martial law.

“Yun ang hindi natin pahintulutan,” Pimentel said.

During the a tête-à-tête, Enrile said millenials or the younger genaration were misinformed about Marcos’ martial law.

“Ang masabi ko na lang sa ating mga kabataan na ‘wag kayong magpadala ng mga opinyon ng ibang mga tao who really have hidden agenda, and the agenda is to justify the excesses of the martial law regime, and to show that they should therefore be given a chance to serve our people through the elections that are forthcoming,” Pimentel said. 

“Wag nating pahintulutan ‘yan. Let us expose them for what they are. They are trying to perpetuate a legacy that had better be placed in the box of history under several feet underground so as not to influence the thinking of the young people of our country and mislead them into the path of that wrong assessment of life that the end justifies the means,” he added.  /muf