Benjamin Cardano Pimentel Sr.; 89

MANILA, Philippines–Benjamin Cardano Pimentel Sr., a son of Bicol and long-time resident of Quezon City, passed away peacefully on Palm Sunday, March 24, at the Philippine General Hospital in Manila. He was 89.

Born in 1923 in Naga City, he was the son of Luis Pimentel, an immigrant from China, and Aquilina Pimentel, a native of Camarines Sur. They were poor but through hard work, they built a thriving business in Naga.

They had 16 children and Ben was the second to the youngest. He attended a public trade school in Naga where he acquired numerous skills, including carpentry, printing and rubber stamp-making.

After high school, he moved to Manila where he hoped to study engineering. But then World War II broke out and Pimentel returned to Naga to be with his family. The skills he learned in trade school proved valuable when he joined a group opposed to the Japanese occupation. They started an underground newspaper to help the resistance movement. Ben Pimentel created the rubber stamp seal for the underground paper, a triangle wedged on a ‘V,’ enricled by the slogan, “From a. Mountainside, We Let Freedom Ring.”

Pimentel was arrested and questioned by the Japanese secret police. After his release, he joined one of the many Bicolano guerrilla units opposed to the occupation.

After the war, he moved to Manila to complete his studies. He was ill by then, worn down by years of fighting as a guerrilla in Camarines Sur. He met Isabel Impelido, a nurse, while recuperating at a hospital in Manila. They were married and moved to Cubao, Quezon City. Ben Pimentel had a long, productive career as a certified public accountant and businessman.

He is survived by his wife, Isabel Impelido Pimentel; children, Nymia Pimentel Simbulan of Marikina; Janet Pimentel Paredes of Diliman, Quezon City; Susan Pimentel Bell of Seattle, Wash.; and INQUIRER.net columnist Benjamin Jr. of Castro Valley, California; grandchildren, Carlos and Alexandra Paredes; Karen, Alfred and Grace Simbulan, Alexandra Bell, Paolo and Anton Pimentel; sons-in-law Alfred Simbulan, Rafael Paredes and William Bell; and daughter-in-law Mara Torres; and his siblings Remedios Pimentel- Reyes and Loreta Pimentel-Lopez Dee.

Viewing starts at 1 p.m. March 25 at Loyola Memorial Marikina Chapel 2. Interment is on Saturday, March 30 at 4 p.m. anticipated mass for Easter Sunday also at Loyola Memorial Marikina, to be officiated by Fr. Nestor Impelido, Salesian priest.