At an event commemorating hundreds who lost their lives fighting the Marcos dictatorship, former Senate President Aquilino "Nene" Pimentel Jr. stressed the end can never justify the means, especially if one resorts to killings.
"Hindi po pwede na, 'Sige na, we have a good objective, therefore puwede nang barilin kung sino ang dapat barilin'. No, sir. Because the end never justifies the means," the veteran lawmaker said.
"Kahit anong ganda ng layunin mo, kung masama ang pamamaraan na ginagamit mo, you cannot justify what you are doing,” he added.
Pimentel, who was a political detainee during the Martial Law regime, was invited by the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Foundation to speak at the ceremony honoring seven new "heroes" who risked their lives to oppose the dictatorial regime.
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The unveiling of the latest names added to the Bantayog's Wall of Remembrance coincided with the 155th birth anniversary of revolutionary hero Andres Bonifacio.
For Pimentel, the monument serves as the "restoration of our rights and freedoms that have been taken away from us."
"Ang buhay ng tao, kung wala pong karapatang pang tao, buhay ng hayop ‘yon. Ang karapatang pang-tao is the distinction between human beings and animals. And, therefore, even those who are in power must always respect the human rights of our people. Kailangan po ‘yun," he said
The 84-year-old political icon also reminded certain "people in power" about the importance of human rights.
"The freedom, liberties and rights of our people must never be supplanted by sacrifice for some fake notion na magandang policy ito, therefore we pursue it even if it's not in accordance with the law," he said.
"Kailangan po ang rule of law, kita sa bansa natin. And that rule must never be supplanted by the rule of the bullet. Otherwise, hay nako, wala nang kinabukasan ang ating mga kababayan,” he added. —LDF, GMA News