Aquilino Pimentel, Jr., 85: Statesman & Co-op Champion
Fearless parliamentarian. Fightingest mayor. Stalwart of democracy. Champion of Co-operatives. These are but some of the sobriquets given to Aquilino “Nene” Q. Pimentel, Jr. in his years of public service. He has been called other names by his detractors, including Don Quixote de Pimentel for his courageous but sometimes lonely battle against a dictator, corruption in government, electoral fraud and even foreign imperialism. What sticks in the mind more, however, is the reputation that he
Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr. died of lymphoma on October 20 at the age of 85.
After the downfall of the Marcos Regime, the former Senate president co-authored with NATCCO founder, Atty. Mordino Cua, the Cooperative Code of 1990 that put all types of cooperatives under one law, and also created the sole regulating agency for cooperatives, the Cooperative Development Authority.
However, he is more famous for authoring the Local Government Code of 1991, which empowered local government units by allowing them to create their own source of revenue and enable them to levy taxes and fees, among others. He also authored the Generics Drugs Act and the Act Creating the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
His son, Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel 3rd, announced the death of his father on Twitter.
Nene is the son of Co-op Champion Aquilino Sr., who partnered with Atty. Mordino Cua, founder of CLIMBS, Oro Integrated Cooperative, Philcul (which eventually became Philippine Federation of Credit Cooperatives (PFCCO), and the National Training Center for Cooperatives, which is today the National Confederation of Cooperatives (NATCCO).
As a young student at Ateneo de Cagayan in 1950,Nene Pimentel served as Secretary to Fr William Masterson S.J., a legend in the co-op sector. From the priest, Mordino Cua and he would “grow tremendously as persons and leaders” who served others.
Jailed for Protesting
Born into a political family in Cagayan de Oro, the man from Mindanao was catalputed to the national arena as an elected delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1971, representing Misamis Oriental. The complexity of what had promised to be an inspiring political exercise changed when then President Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law on September 21, 1972.
A young and principled lawyer, Pimentel and a few like-minded delegates feared the Concon would produce a Marcos-scripted Constitution and were vocal in their opposition. Pimentel also protested certain provisions as being contrary to the people’s interest. Not surprisingly, in a roundup of those who opposed Marcos, he was arrested in early 1973 and jailed for three months at Camp Crame. Pimentel, who had a young family, bade his wife Bing “Be brave. Don’t cry,” and submitted to the incarceration.
He was released from prison in time for the signing of the Constitution. Uncowed by his incarceration, Pimentel refused to sign, along with a few other delegates. In the climate of fear of the Martial Law era, this was a bold move and it widened his repute as an oppositionist.
He then lawyered for the National Secretariat for Social Action of the Catholic Bishops Conference to help the poor peasants and the urban poor who were particularly oppressed during the Martial Law era. But he did not fade into oblivion nor did he cease being critical of the dictatorship.
At about the same time, his friend Mordino Cua from Cagayan de Oro was also jailed by the Marcos Regime.
Held for Leading Demonstration
In April 1978, Pimentel ran for a post in the Interim Batasan elections as an official candidate of the Lakas ng Bayan (Laban) party of Metro Manila with Ninoy Aquino. Members of Marcos’ Kilusan ng Bagong Lipunan (KBL) party swept the seats. Pimentel and other opposition leaders like Senator Lorenzo Tañada, Soc Rodrigo, Teofisto Guingona, Fr. Archie Intengan SJ, and Chino Roces loudly protested the defeat of all opposition candidates and denounced the massive cheating that had taken place. Pimentel was one of those arrested for leading a demonstration against what he termed farcical elections. He had spoken out against Marcos’ bid to produce a rubber stamp legislature to win legitimacy for his iron-fisted regime which was increasingly being criticized here and abroad. Pimentel was jailed for two months in Camp Bicutan, Metro Manila.
Pimentel’s second stint in prison did not silence him. In fact, it strengthened his resolve to fight for freedom and to oppose electoral fraud. Ever the parliamentarian, he brought the battle from the streets to the polls in January 1980 when Marcos allowed local elections.
His wife Bing recalled they launched his mayoralty bid in Cagayan de Oro with a mere P2,000 in his war chest – all the money the couple could muster. But Cagayanons who believed in him contributed to his campaign and penned his name on their ballot. Pimentel won by a 3-1 margin over his KBL rival, who was fielded by Marcos. Pimentel ran under the coalition banner of the National Union for Democracy and Freedom and the Mindanao Alliance which busted KBL dominance in Misamis Oriental. He and his entire slate of candidates for vice mayor and seven city councilors swept the elections in Cagayan de Oro. His candidates for governor and vice governor also won.
Ousted as Mayor
Pimentel was not to govern his city unhindered. In 1981, while he was on a five-week training course in the United States, the Comelec ousted him for “political turncoatism,” installing the KBL candidate as mayor. The Comelec cited Pimentel for switching from Laban in April 1978 to the Narional Union for Democracy and Freedom in December 1979 and then running as candidate of the Mindanao Alliance in January 1980.
The Comelec’s move ired the Cagayanons. Pimentel partisans immediately staged peaceful demonstrations to express their displeasure. About 30 of his supporters also started fasting in protest. Six days later, 10,000 of his supporters marched around the city in a nonviolent show of support for Pimentel who was then on an official trip to the US. Thousands more lined the streets to cheer them on. This first-ever demonstration of “People Power” came at a time when Marcos did not lightly tolerate dissent.
Meanwhile, in Manila, Pimentel’s lawyer, headed by opposition leaders former Senators Lorenzo Tañada and Soc Rodrigo, along with Abraham Sarmiento, Raul Gonzales and Joker Arroyo, claimed that the Comelec had acted without jurisdiction and contented that the electorate’s will should be respected. The Comelec, however, reaffirmed its decision to oust Pimentel.
The conflict made national headlines and photos of demonstrations in Cagayan de Oro appeared in a major daily. To defuse the escalating turmoil, Marcos engineered a truce and reinstalled Pimentel as mayor, pending a Supreme Council decision. Pimentel arrived from the US in time to pick up the reins of city government that had briefly been wrested from him.
House Arrest
Pimentel Jr. founded the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP) in 1982 to fight the Marcos dictatorship. The party merged with the Lakas ng Bayan founded by the late former senator Benigno Aquino Jr. in 1986. He was also one of the proponents of federalism.
In 1983, while he was in Cebu City, Pimentel was arrested on charges of rebellion and was detained. He had allegedly given P100 to new People’s Army commander. Bing Pimentel recalled it was horrible time as the family did not know where he was. They traced him to Camp Sergio Osmeña and later to Camp Cabahug in the City of Cebu. Even as he was held in the military detention centers, his followers from Cagayan De Oro and other parts of the country visited him by the hundreds to boost his morale and keep his spirits high.
Nene Pimentel disputed the charges and was later released. Returning home, he was mobbed by thousand of his supporters upon his arrival at the pier of Cagayan De Oro. Later, he was again arrested for allegedly engaging in ambuscades. His supporters contributed centavos and pesos in small denomination to bail him out. Subsequently, Pimentel was placed under house arrest which lasted for almost seven months.
From the confines of his home, Pimentel continued to keep abreast of national news. He helped rally the opposition, ran the city and launched his bid as assemblyman for the Batasang Pambansa. He was, if anything, not quite. He protested relentlessly and fearlessly against injustice, fraud, corruption and Marcos’ dictatorial rule.
OUSTED AND REINSTATED
Then, in the aftermath of the assassination of Marcos’s chief rival, Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino in 1983, Pimentel won a seat in the Batasan Pambansa elections of 1984. But the Marcos government ousted him on the allegation that he had cheated in the elections. The Supreme Court itself recounted the ballots in an electoral contest.
The feisty Pimentel, a relentless critic of the Marcos regime, was often seen with Ninoy’s widow, Cory, as they rallied the opposition. At one point, Cory asked him to be her running mate in the 1995 Snap Elections and he agreed. However, at the 11th hour, when Cardinal Jaime Sin brokered a political marriage between Cory and Salvador “Doy” Laurel, Jr., Pimentel graciously stepped aside and let history run its course.
The widow toppled the dictator who fled the country. Upon her ascent to power President Aquino appointed Pimentel as Minister of Local Government. He had the unenviable task of dismantling the structure of dictatorship and corruption left behind by the Marcos regime. Pimentel wielded the axe deliberately, gaining a breathing space for the new administration. His critics alleged he had sold positions in the new government, but none could make the charge stick. Pimentel incurred the ire of some but also the respect of those who saw that he did it without fear or favor or taint of corruption.
Pimentel’s next assignment in the Aquino administration were as presidential adviser and chief negotiator with the Muslim rebels. He resigned from those post to run for the Senate in the 1987 elections.
As Senator, he authored and sponsored several key pieces of legislation, among them the Local Government Code of 1991, the Cooperative Code, the Philippine Sports Commission Act, the Act Creating the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and the People’s Small-Scale Mining Act. He also authored and co-sponsored the Generic Drugs Act and the Act Establishing the Philippine Police under a Reorganized Department of Interior and Local Government.
Pimentel lost bid for the vice presidency in 1992 when he stood as Jovito Salonga’s running mate. During the hiatus in his political career, he established his law practice in Metro Manila, gaining repute as a brilliant and meticulous lawyer, further enhancing his national stature.
Vice President Maria Leonor Robredo also expressed grief and celebrated Pimentel’s legacy.
“The Filipino nation is diminished today with the passing of Senator Nene Pimentel, our leading advocate for local governance, a tireless champion of human rights, and a true patriot,” Robredo said in a statement.
“His long and storied career as a statesman is replete with moments of moral courage as he stood firm against the oftentimes cruel realities of politics and history,” she added.
She said Pimentel deserves a place in the country’s history for “standing up to the dictator [president Ferdinand] Marcos during Martial Law, asserting Philippine sovereignty during the debates for the renewal of the US bases treaty, running as [vice president] to an eminently qualified but underfunded Jovito Salonga in 1992, taking the principled position as Senate president during the Estrada impeachment trial.”
House Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate and Bayan Muna Chairman Neri Colmenares remembered him as a staunch defender of human rights.
“Malaking kawalan sa bansa ang pagkamatay ni Senator Nene dahil sa kanyang malaking ambag sa paglaban sa diktaduryang Marcos. Ipinagtanggol niya ang mga karapatang pantao hanggang sa mga huling araw ng kanyang buhay. Ang buhay niya ay dapat malaman at sundan ng lahat, lalu na ng mga nasa pamahalaan (Senator Nene’s passing is a great loss because of his huge contribution in fighting the Marcos’ dictatorship. He defended human rights until the end. His life should be known and followed by everyone especially those in the government),” Zarate said.
“Senator Pimentel is a sterling example of a public servant who stood up for what is right even if it meant going to jail several times,” Colmenares said.
“Thank you for helping him achieve his vision and goals as a legislator. Because of your support, he has left landmark legacies such as the Local Government Code and the Cooperative Code of the Philippines, among others,” Sen. Koko Pimentel said in his response to the eulogies.
“Public service was his passion, working on landmark legacies fulfilled him and made him happy. Thank you for working with him to realize his dream of a fairer, democratic and productive Philippines,” he added.
With reports from The Manila Times, the Memoirs of Mordino Cua, and www.senate.gov.ph