Pimentels nuisance in hometown? CDO mayor says Senator Nene is well-loved

Cagayan de Oro Mayor Oscar Moreno on Wednesday disputed President Rodrigo Duterte's statement tagging the late former senator Nene Pimentel and his family as nuisance in their home province, saying the late lawmaker was well-loved until his death.

"It is political season...'yun lang, masakit lang dinamay si Senator Nene. Kay Senator Koko (Pimentel), fair game. Kay Senator Nene, medyo masakit," Moreno said during a Palace briefing.

(It hurts that Senator Nene was dragged into this. It is a fair game for Senator Koko, but for Senator Nene, it kind of hurts.)

Koko is the son of the late former Senator Nene Pimentel.

Moreno made the response after the President said the Pimentels "are not even well-known

Duterte even added, "They cannot win there, even just for a barangay captain race" during the PDP-Laban meeting in Pampanga last Saturday.

"People in Cagayan de Oro knew what kind of person Senator Nene was. I'm sure the President did not mean that. Senator Koko can defend himself, but in the case of Senator Nene...we know deep in our hearts how [much] we love Senator Nene," Moreno said.

The elder Pimentel, who also once served as Senate President, passed away in October 2019 at 85 years old after battling lymphoma and pneumonia.

The elder Pimentel, one of the founders of PDP-Laban which is now chaired by Duterte, fought the dictatorship of the late President Ferdinand Marcos.

Prior to his death, former senator Nene served as one of the members of the Consultative Committee (ConCom) tasked by the President  to review the 1987 Constitution and draft a new one which will pave the way for a federal form of government.—AOL, GMA News