PIMENTEL LAUNCHES BOOK ON MARTIAL LAW, JUNE 7

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Nene Q. Pimentel, Jr. (PDP-Laban) is scheduled to formally launch his book, Martial Law in the Philippines, My Story, on June 7 at the Centennial Hall of the Manila Hotel.

The book carries introductions by former President Corazon Aquino and Senator Joker Arroyo.

One of the outstanding leaders in the resistance against the dictatorship of deposed President Ferdinand E. Marcos, Pimentel recalls in his book the historic and dramatic events in the peoples struggle against the dictatorship. Senator Pimentel was imprisoned twice by the dictatorship.

Early on at the onset of martial law, Pimentel and Joker Arroyo acted as counsel for the public officials, politicians and journalists who were imprisoned by the martial law administration. They were prominent in the numerous rallies organized by the opposition that included the late newspaper publisher Chino Roces and former Senators Lorenzo Taada and Jose W. Diokno.

Despite threats to his life and the travails of his family, Pimentel ran for mayor of Cagayan de Oro during the martial law regime, winning the popular vote by a large margin. Later, he was falsely implicated in a fabricated plot against Marcos, and was jailed after he refused bail by his supporters and friends.

In the 1986 snap presidential elections, Pimentel played a leading role in shaping the opposition party that challenged the Marcos dictatorship, leading to the election of Corazon Aquino, widow of the late opposition Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr., as president, and former Senator Salvador Laurel as president. He also played a key role in the ouster of the martial law strongman.

Today Pimentel continues his role as principled opposition to the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He has called for Arroyos resignation and the holding of a snap presidential election.

Critics praise the book as a comprehensive, accurate and exceptional record of the national struggle for the restoration of democracy. It records not just the sacrifices and strivings of one man and the support of his family despite hardships and deprivation, but also the courage and defiance of other personalities and groups against the dictatorship.

It is a welcome addition to the libraries not only of historians and specialists but also of schools and other institutions whose mission is to raise productive citizens and form enlightened members of our larger community, reviewers said.

Martial Law in the Philippines: My Story by Senator Pimentel is a riveting work of remembrance. In this book of epic breadth and depth, one of the leading lights in the resistance against the Marcos dictatorship, brings us back to one of the most formative and destructive periods of contemporary Philippine history. His memories and reflections, including the people he names and the events he now recalls, continue the intellectual conversation about how past events inform present circumstances, the reviewers added.