MANILA -- Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Wednesday led senators in presenting a Senate resolution to the family of the late Senator President Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr. expressing the Chamber’s “profound sympathy and sincere condolences”.
Pimentel passed away on October 20 at the age of 85.
Senate Resolution No. 17, which was signed by Sotto and all the incumbent senators of the 18th Congress, extolled the various accomplishments of Pimentel in his almost five decades of “illustrious and unblemished” career as a public servant.
These included being a delegate to the 1971 Constitutional Convention; mayor of Cagayan de Oro City, Batasang Pambansa Assemblyman; Minister of Local Government and Presidential Adviser and Chief Negotiator with Muslim rebels; Senator, Senate Minority leader, and Senate President; and member of the Consultative Committee to review the 1987 Constitution.
“As Senator, he authored several key pieces of legislation, most notably the Organic Act for the Local Government Code of 1991 for which he was hailed as the Father of the Local Government Code,” the resolution said.
The late senator also authored the Organic Act for the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.
Pimentel was also among the so-called “Magnificent 12”, who voted against the extension of the Philippine-US Bases Treaty in 1991 that ended years of foreign military presence in the country.
Senate Resolution 168 said as chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, Pimentel recommended the prosecution of top government officials involved in the Expo Pilipino Centennial scam, the misuse of funds of the Retirement and Separation benefits Systems of the Armed Forces, and the issuance of fake land titles by certain Land Registration Administration personnel.
“During his tenure as Senate President from 2000-2001, the Senate registered an impressive record in terms of laws enacted,” the resolution said.
These included the Public employment service Act of 1999 (RA 8795), the early Childhood Care and Development Act (RA 8980), the Philippine Food Fortification Act of 2000 (RA 8976), the General Banking Law of 2000 ((RA 8791), the Electronic Commerce Act of 2000 (RA 8792), and the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 (RA 9003), among others.
“As an advocate of the federal form of government, he authored and actively supported the bill that would shift the country into a Federal Republic in order to increase decentralization, greater local power and access to resources most especially among regions outside Metro Manila,” the resolution said.
Pimentel’s “sterling qualities of a true leader and advocate of nationalist issues” and for his “unwavering efforts in nation-building through judicious legislation, unblemished public service and virtuous advocacy” had earned him the Benigno S. Aquino Award for nationalism from the Federation of Catholic Schools Alumni Association.
“The death of a respected statesman, an inspiring leader, a man of humility, honesty, and integrity, a patriot, and an icon of democracy, who had dedicated his life for the betterment of his beloved country, and who had stood against all odds in protecting democracy and in fighting abuses in government, facing the struggles unafraid and unmindful of the dangers to his own life, is a great loss to the nation and to the Filipino people,” the resolution said. (PNA)
