The era has ended

"The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively."
--Bob Marley

By Alex P. Vidal

WE don't have anymore a Nene Pimentel in today's age.
In fact, we haven't produced the likes of Nene Pimentel in our government in recent memory.
What we have is a bunch of third-rate comedians and circus jokers masquerading as "nationalists" and "statesmen" who enrich themselves like they own the entire archipelago,
What we have been electing in our national offices are thieves, drug lords, illiterates, morally bankrupt punks, showbiz has-been, hooligans, ass-lickers; you name them our congress (Lower and Upper Chambers) have them.
With no more Nene Pimentel Jr. Jose Diokno, Joker Arroyo, Arturo Tolentino, Lorenzo Tanada, the era has ended.

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I remember in 1989 the first news item I wrote for News Express that "impressed" our managing editor Agnes Españo was about the eminent Senator Aquilino "Nene" Pimentel Jr., Tita Cory's former secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
"Impressed" because that article about Senator Pimentel's solid rebuke of the surging "lotto" landed in the front page.
Senator Pimentel was in Iloilo City holding a press conference at the Amigo Terrace Hotel while we were in the City Hall preparing to hear then Mayor Roding Ganzon's latest tirade against "lotto" which was being "promoted" by Pimentel's successor, Luis T. Santos, Ganzon's fierce critic at that time.
It was the first time that I came close to the man considered as one of the pre-martial law political icons; a native of Cagayan de Oro City who spoke fluent Hiligaynon (he answered all our questions in Hiligaynon and he preferred to be called as "Nene").

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The second time I was on the same table with the famed former human rights lawyer and assemblyman was when he ran for reelection as senator in 1998 (he previously served in the senate under the Cory Aquino administration from 1987 until 1992).
It was campaign period and Senator Pimentel was with his then daughter-in-law Jewel May Lobaton, the 1998 Bb. Pilipinas-Universe and Miss MassKara Queen.
Iloilo City Rep. Julienne "Jamjam" Baronda, then a city councilor, introduced me to Ms Lobaton, a Bacolodnon who came in Iloilo City to campaign for her father-in-law.
Senator Pimentel, again, spoke in Hiligaynon and made everyone comfortable with his humility and grace.
I found Senator Pimentel to be brilliant and tactful; he seemed to have a knack for saying the right thing at the right time.
He was appropriate and sensitive, never careless or rude compared to another politicians running for the same office I met at that time.
But he had to criticize what he deemed was incorrect and unpalatable, the kind of criticism that the other persons don't get offended.
We missed quality and truly magnificent public servants like Nene Pimentel Jr. Rest in Peace, Tatay Nene.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)