Former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr. was laid to rest on Saturday morning at the Heritage Memorial Park in Taguig City.
Before the interment, his family and friends offered a last Mass for the father of the Local Government Code, as supporters and former colleagues paid their last respects to the lawmaker and democracy icon.
The native of Claveria, Misamis Oriental passed away Sunday, October 20, at age 85, after battling lymphoma and pneumonia.
Among the luminaries present for the interment were his son, Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, former Vice President Jejomar Binay, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, Sen. Risa Hontiveros, former senator Heherson Alvarez, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, and former Commission on Human Rights chair Etta Rosales.
President Rodrigo Duterte was not present but had paid his respects to Pimentel, a longtime friend and partymate in the ruling PDP-Laban, on Thursday.
Pimentel was given a shower of flowers and a three-volleys-over-fire salute by the Philippine Army Security before his remains were buried around noon.
Sen. Koko Pimentel vowed to continue his advocacy, particularly in local autonomy, federalism, and cooperativism.
“He was very productive all the time. If he rests from work, he was still productive with his time for his family. I hope we can emulate him. His advice to me, the one I remember most, was to use my time wisely. Be productive and do what I have to do,” he said.
“I will miss our talks about what’s happening to the nation,” the younger Pimentel told ABS-CBN News.
“He was undergoing treatment for lymphoma for two years. Pero (But) he was admitted to the hospital for pneumonia,” his daughter Maria Petrina said.
Pimentel, who served as Senate President from November 2000 to July 2001, authored the Local Government Code of 1991, the Generic Drugs Act, and the law that created the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
He was a staunch critic of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, and was imprisoned for opposing martial rule.
Pimentel is survived by his wife Lourdes “Bing” Pimentel and their six children.
“Faith and prayers. He wanted us to be strong for Nanay. We have to. It’s going to be very difficult day-to-day,” Maria Petrina said.