By JIGGER J. JERUSALEM,
Correspondent
ARCHBISHOP Antonio Ledesma has expressed hopes that the new breed and future politicians would follow the path of the late former mayor and Senate president Aquilino Pimentel Jr. especially in the face of repression.
Ledesma said Pimentel shown the Filipino people the face of a principled leader and an effective public servant.
“He was in the opposition during the time of martial law, which shows to the young people that working for righteousness and morality are still very important in public life,” Ledesma told reporters at the sidelines of the necrological service dedicated for Pimentel at the City Tourism Hall Thursday night.
Pimentel, the prelate said, was incarcerated several times during the dictatorial rule of the late Ferdinand E. Marcos. Ledesma said Pimentel did not bend down to the powers-that-be and instead chose to be on the dissenting side even if it meant being persecuted for what he believed in.
“I call him a steadfast warrior, [who followed] a straight path in serving our country. And he did not make any political compromises. In fact, he was imprisoned four times during the martial law days because he really stood for working against authoritarianism,” Ledesma said.
The archbishop said he is still optimistic that younger elected officials and public servants will emulate Pimentel’s style of leadership.
“We hope there will be more Nene Pimentels,” said Ledesma even as he noted that at present that remains “elusive.”
But, he added, there are local chief executives that have shown promise.
“We have young political leaders who are also conscientious. In fact, I would think that the new leadership of cities like Manila or even here in Cagayan de Oro are examples of good governance,” he said.
Ledesma said he expects politicians to stand by what they believe in, as far as being a good public servant is concerned.
“I would call Nene a good example of principled leadership. He stuck to his principles, and served our country with these,” he said.
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