Principled stand of Sen. Pimentel to benefit nation

The current predicament of Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III is similar to the one Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan faced in the 2007 senatorial elections. To recall, Pangilinan took a big gamble in his political career when he ran for a Senate seat as an independent. He did this because he couldn’t in good conscience join the coalition led by former President Joseph Estrada or the one led by then President Gloria Arroyo. Pangilinan was one of those who supported the ouster of Estrada during Edsa II and he also was one of those who immediately called for the resignation of Arroyo right after the “Hello Garci” scandal erupted in 2005.

While other politicians would set aside their principles to ensure a victory at the polls, Pangilinan showed that victory could also be achieved by those who decide to stand up for their values, beliefs and principles. I hope that Pangilinan’s experience of winning as an independent candidate will help Pimentel arrive at a clear decision on whether to stay true to his values or give in to political pressure and compromise for political expediency.

Given his solid track record as a public servant with integrity, I am hoping that Pimentel will realize that he and the Filipino people will gain more if he stands firm on his principles instead of allowing himself to be swallowed by a corrupt political patronage system which, sadly, values electoral victory at all costs over one’s morality. I am sure that should Pimentel decide to stay true to his conscience and run as an independent candidate, the Filipino people will be there to strongly support him and propel him to victory in the coming 2013 senatorial elections.

—HARVEY S. KEH, lead convenor, Kaya Natin! Movement for  Good Governance and Ethical Leadership,  [email protected]