The League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) has paid tribute to the late Senate president Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr., who was known as the father of the Local Government Code.
Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia, national president of the LCP, said in a statement recently that Pimentel was “one of the best and most unforgettable public officials we’ve ever had”.
“Even just for his fight for local autonomy and to provide the (LGUs) the much-needed increase in our Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) share, he is now immortal. He will live forever in the hearts of LGU officials and advocates,” the mayor said.
“The LCP, including Bacolod City, conveys our deepest condolences to Aquilino ‘Koko’ Pimentel III and family,” he added.
In another tribute posted on its official Facebook page on Monday, the LCP vowed to keep Pimentel’s legacy alive by espousing good local governance and constantly pursuing a more ideal local governance framework for the country.
“We are ‘very grateful for his insurmountable contribution in championing the welfare of local governments, ramifications of which continue to reverberate among cities, provinces, municipalities, and barangays in our country today,” the league said.
“It was Senator Nene Pimentel who institutionalized local government leagues — the LCP included — as the mandated organizations of LGUs,” it added.
Pimentel, 85, passed away on Sunday, Oct. 20, due lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system. (Nanette Guadalquiver pna via ndb)