My father, the late Sen. Blas F. Ople, and former Sen. Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr. came from opposite sides of the political fence. My dad served in the Marcos Cabinet, while Pimentel was a staunch oppositionist. Yet, such differences never stood in the way of their friendship when they became colleagues in the Senate. There was mutual respect there, and yes, a fondness that ripened with time.
Last Monday, the PDP-Laban, through Spokesman Ron Munsayac, tweeted a call for prayers on behalf of the former Senate president who “is very ill and currently under treatment.” Based on news reports, the acknowledged “Father of the Local Government Code” has been suffering from an advanced stage of lymphoma, a cancer of the lympathic system.
If there is one political leader entitled to our most fervent prayers, it would be this humble giant of a man that everyone calls “Nene.” Even when his hair is at its handsome whitest, perpetual youth springs from the mere mention of his name. I have seen Tatay Nene in action, from his Senate days to recent lectures on federalism, and I can’t help but admire the strength and clarity of his convictions, and his endurance as a statesman.
How does a man grow such wings of conviction? How does one start life as just any other boy, only to end up as a man of gravitas? We note that in the case of Pimentel, he fought against Marcos as a young lawyer and was elected delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1971. He was arrested in 1973 and detained for three months at Camp Crame. He was released from prison in time for the signing of
the Constitution, which he, as a delegate, refused to sign.
In 1978, Pimentel ran for a post in the Interim Batasan elections with Ninoy Aquino and other opposition leaders, like Sen. Lorenzo Tañada, Soc Rodrigo and Teofisto Guingona. They lost as the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan of the Marcos administration swept the polls. Claiming massive electoral cheating, Pimentel joined demonstrations, which led to his second jail term. Being detained for two months in Camp Bicutan strengthened his resolve to continue fighting against electoral fraud and for human rights.
He won in his first mayoralty bid in Cagayan de Oro despite having only P2,000 in his pocket. From mayoralty to the Senate presidency, never had his name been tainted with corruption. His talented spouse, Bing, and children, including Human Rights Commissioner Gwen Pimentel-Gana and Sen. Koko Pimentel, can never be accused of highhandedness or abuse of power. I have yet to see anyone of them walk around with a team of bodyguards, in luxury vehicles paid out of public funds.
During the recent wedding of his granddaughter, Doms Gana (daughter of Gwen and Luigi Gana) to Jon Pabillore, Tatay Nene was called to the stage to sing for the newlyweds. Of course, he chose his favorite song, “You Are My Sunshine,” giving the audience a happy beat to clap to. It is fitting to remember this song now, and sing it to him, as part of our fervent prayers for the Lord to bless and heal this remarkable man.
“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine”
“You make me happy when skies are gray”
“You’ll never know dear, how much I love you”
“Please don’t take my sunshine away.”
We may not all be cut from the same political cloth, but there are leaders who defy time, and labels, and are able to gracefully conquer both the grandeur and hardships of politics. There are leaders who are called patriots because of timeless accomplishments. There are leaders whose principles never fade away, no matter how white the hair or slow the walk—and Sen. Nene Pimentel is clearly one of them.
Tatay Nene, please be well. We are rooting for you.
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Susan V. Ople heads the Blas F. Ople Policy Center and Training Institute, a nonprofit organization that deals with labor and migration issues. She also represents the OFW sector in the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking.