Vanishing breed
Our political horizon may look dark right now but there are still some twinkling spots that somehow augur a brighter political future. Even if our politics is already so dirty and tough, a breed of young men and women with idealism and principles still intact continues to be interested and determined to enter the political arena and render public service despite initial disappointments.
One such young man now in the limelight is Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III. He entered politics and joined the fray during the hey days of the past administration when the opposition only had a ghost of a chance in winning an election because of the political juggernaut unleashed by a scandal-rocked regime out to retain power at all cost. Winning at that time against the candidates for Senator fielded by the regime with all the power and resources at its command seemed to be not only an uphill climb but an impossible dream. But he remained undaunted and did not lose faith in the Filipinos by joining the race.
Indeed he became another victim of “dagdag bawas” like his father, former Senator and Senate President Nene Pimentel, Jr, who also suffered the same fate. But he did not give up the fight and instead filed an election protest which undoubtedly was another quixotic struggle. Eventually however he was vindicated when his opponent Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri gave up the Senate seat he won four years earlier. His vindication was more expeditious because he still has two years of service as Senator unlike his father whose protest was not resolved in six years and thus was vindicated only when he ran for Senator again and already won.
And it seems that the lessons learned by Koko became deeply ingrained in him. Next year when his shortened term expires he will run for reelection in order to continue serving and contributing his talent as a topnotch lawyer in the Upper Chamber of Congress. His winning this time around seems to be a cinch as he is included in the slate of UNA an alliance that looks formidable because of its strong political machinery and its leaders particularly, Vice President Jejomar Binay who is touted as the country’s next President, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, recently acclaimed for his able handling of the impeachment case, and ex-president Estrada whose mass appeal is still intact.
But if he joins the ticket of this group he will be running and campaigning together with Migz Zubiri who is also included in the ticket. Since Zubiri was part of and benefitted from the electoral fraud committed against him, Koko believed that he cannot campaign together with Zubiri on the same stage because he said cannot avoid attacking election cheaters or people who were part of, or benefitted from the past electoral frauds. Thus he chose not to join UNA, give up the bigger chances of winning in the next elections and took the risk of losing rather than abandon and sacrifice his principled stand and continuing fight against electoral fraud. This is indeed an example of principled politics rarely seen nowadays. Obviously Koko learned from his father Nene Pimentel, Jr who suffered so many setbacks but never abandoned his principles and continued the fight despite overwhelming odds.
This is the kind of politics that our country direly needs now. Since we became an independent country, and especially after the EDSA revolution, our politics has become one of convenience gravitating around personalities. Politicians have abandoned their principles and platforms, change political colors and formed alliances around the persons in power or persons who have strong potentials of assuming power. Obviously this is the result of the multi-party system that was introduced after the Marcos regime. Political parties have now become mere coats that could be removed and replaced depending on whether they will properly fit the selfish purposes of the politicians wearing them. May be it’s about time we revert back to the old and tested twoparty system when we choose candidates on the basis of their political platforms that appeal to us because we are convinced they are for the common good.
Hopefully Koko Pimentel will not be disappointed for taking a principled stand by still winning in the coming election despite the kind of politics now prevailing in our country. Let’s hope that he will not suffer the same fate as the other principled politicians like Richard Gordon, Bayani Fernando, Grace Padaca, Fr. Panlilio of Pampanga, Edmund Reyes of Marinduque and many others who stuck to their principles but lost.
And if Koko wins, let’s hope that he will not succumb or be swallowed up by the system like what happened to other idealistic men and women before him. Undoubtedly there are now so many principled men and women who won elections or were appointed to government positions but have eventually abandoned their principles because they became victims of the system or could not resists the alluring and intoxicating powers and perks of the positions. Of course some of them have remained steadfast and unaffected like Mar Roxas, Butch Abad, Jesse Robredo, Teofisto Guingona, III, Chiz Escudero, Roy Golez and Joey Salceda to name a few.
To be sure there are so many other unnamed idealistic and principled men and women who have not been disillusioned by setbacks in past elections and would still like to enter public service, locally and nationally. They are the bright spots in our dark political horizon. But their breed is slowly vanishing and may completely disappear if the principled men and women still in government will fail them by also abandoning or bargaining their principles, and if we, the electorate will further disappoint them by not fully supporting them this coming election. Let us not allow this vanishing breed to completely disappear from the political scene.
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