MANILA, Philippines — A true patriot and freedom fighter.
This was how senators remembered former Senate President Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr. who passed away on Sunday morning.
Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said Pimentel acted as the ”people’s watchman in the Senate who guarded their interests, often as a one-man checkpoint who shone a lantern on the bills before they were passed.”
“He was able to notch an impressive scorecard of laws because he had the courage to speak and the wisdom to listen. Nene was a sensei to many legislators in that bygone era when true grit was measured by hard work and not by likes, shares, and followers,” Recto said.
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said he considers Pimentel as “one of the great pillars of our country’s democracy in the last 50 years.”
“I’m honored to have had the opportunity to work with him in the 14th Congress and even if we had some differences then, he still treated me professionally and mentored me on the issues of Human rights and above all the rule of Law,” Zubiri said.
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, who was replaced by Pimentel as Senate President back in 2000, said the late senator was “a true patriot, a freedom fighter, and a champion of democracy, human rights and local governance.”
“Ka Nene fought for our country with honor and pride. His name will forever be remembered in the halls of Congress and by our grateful nation,” Drilon said.
‘A voice to the small people’
Senator Sonny Angara said Pimentel was “never the bullhorn of the powerful,” pointing out that the late senator lent his voice to the less fortunate.
“That has been the story of his life – an advocate for the down and out, a champion of the powerless and the persecuted. But he was as good in opposing abuses as he was in proposing solutions to the problems of the state,” Angara said.
Senator Grace Poe likewise said that Pimentel “always kept watch and put himself on the line for the sake of the Filipino people,” as she called the late senator a “principled leader, patriot, statesman.”
Meanwhile, Senator Panfilo Lacson said he would remember Pimentel as his “first Senate minority leader,” as he recalled the time he was newly elected as a senator back in 2001.
“That was my first baptism of dirty politics as the newly installed administration under then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo unleashed Angelo ‘Ador’ Mawanay and several other peddlers of lies and black propaganda to portray me as the biggest narco-politician, money launderer and criminal offender that ever set foot in the halls of Congress,” Lacson said.
“Failing to understand the dirty play of politics then, I can still vividly remember Sen Nene’s advice: “Ping, sagutin mo yung mga akusasyon ng administrasyon. Marami nang naniniwala.”
(Ping, respond to the accusations of the administration. Many people are believing it.)
Champion of LGUs
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said he would remember Pimentel as the champion of local government units (LGUs), noting that the late senator’s landmark measure, the Local Government Code of 1991, empowered local governments in the country.
“Pimentel has empowered LGUs across the country by allowing them to create their own source of revenue and enable them to levy taxes and fees, among others,” Gatchalian said.
Senator Richard Gordon, meanwhile, said that Pimentel was a dedicated public servant not only while he was in politics, but also even after retirement as the former senator “continued to express his views on issues that mattered to him and that he believed were in the public interest.”
Senators Bong Go and Joel Villanueva also remembered Pimentel’s contribution in shaping local governments today.
“Tatay Nene, as he is fondly called, was a fellow Mindanaoan and a staunch ally in fighting for advocacies he shared with Tatay Digong even before President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration until now,” Go said.
Meanwhile, Villanueva said: “We celebrate the life of Tatay Nene Pimentel, whose public service knew no bounds. His commitment to uphold public interest is an example that civil servants must strive to emulate in their duties and functions.”
Fight for democracy
Senator Franklin Pangilinan honored Pimentel for fighting for democracy amidst the time of dictatorship.
Pimentel was one of the leaders who criticized the declaration of martial law under the Marcos regime and decided to run for the interim national assembly under Lakas ng Bayan (Laban) with Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.
Senator Risa Hontiveros called Pimentel’s passing as “a void that will probably never be filled.”
“But I know he would want us to continue the struggle for freedom, democracy, the defense of human rights and the rule of law, and so we shall,” Hontiveros said.
Senator Leila De Lima said that even after the People Power Revolution, Pimentel “remained a fighter for good governance” as he let go of the Senate Presidency “when the Senate refused to examine evidence in the impeachment trial of President Estrada.”
“He may be gone, but his legacy of wisdom in defending democracy will live forever in the hearts of the people,” De Lima said.
Senator Koko Pimentel confirmed the elder Pimentel’s passing on Sunday morning, nearly a week after he was reportedly hospitalized. /je,gsg