FINDING ANSWERS
It’s saddening to learn of the demise last week of another great Filipino: former Senator Rene A. V. Saguisag. But his family is right, the grief-stricken can take solace in the enduring impact of his legacy.
“Rene Saguisag was a dedicated public servant, and his tireless endeavors as a human rights advocate, senator and writer stand as a testament to his unwavering commitment to justice, truth, and democracy,” read a statement from his family.
How true! I myself witnessed his dedication as human rights advocate, as well as his statesmanship and brilliance as senator. In all his endeavors, the depth of his integrity was inspiring. He was indeed a “sagisag (symbol)” of rectitude.
And his penchant for simplicity, as well as his disdain for the intricacies of power and privilege, became quite memorable.
It wasn’t unusual to hear stories of how he preferred riding an ordinary vehicle or even a taxi when he was senator, instead of a luxury car as what men of power and authority are wont to do. Or stories of his bringing his own food, as he shunned the free catering for senators paid by Filipino taxpayers.
When I went to his wake the first night, I learned his family begged off from the necro rites traditionally held at the Senate session hall for senators who passed away. I wasn’t surprised at all by the decision, it was typical of Kuya Rene not to seek the public limelight which he deemed a distraction from matters more worthy of attention.
Even before Sen. Rene became my Senate colleague in the 8th Congress from 1987 to 1992, I’ve worked with him while lawyering for victims of human rights abuses in the early ’80s.
I admit that I was hesitant to join him at first, because I had just finished law school and had passed the Bar, and was eager for a decent income to nicely support a family. But Rene was very persuasive in his belief that “expertise in law was a means to serve the poor and disenfranchised.”
Having been convinced by Sen. Rene that lawyering for the marginalized was more fulfilling than being a pricey lawyer in a pricey law firm, I joined the Movement of Attorneys for the Advancement of Brotherhood, Nationalism, and Integrity (MABINI) in which he was one of the founders.
As a human rights lawyer working with Kuya Rene, and also with Jejomar Binay and the late Joker Arroyo, among others, I saw firsthand the pain felt by victims of injustice whose anguish have no bounds when a sense of hopelessness creeps in. The feeling of frustration and utter helplessness can be so overwhelming that it can shatter one’s trust in a system where truth and justice ought to prevail.
We saw how money and influence, or lack of both, can result in distortion of the truth to make a mockery of justice. Thus, it wasn’t difficult for Sen. Rene and me, when we became senators, to see the folly of the death penalty as we stood on the Senate floor fiercely debating against the restoration of the ultimate punishment.
Together, we clearly knew that unless all the pillars of the criminal justice system really worked efficiently to identify, apprehend, prosecute, and convict the real offenders, innocent lives could be snuffed out through the death penalty. I felt it was a distinct honor that we both stood on the same side on the controversial issue.
As senator, Sen. Rene will also be remembered for his sponsorship of landmark legislation, RA 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, as well as his pursuit of RA 6770, The Ombudsman Act of 1989.
For all his legal brilliance, statesmanship, simplicity, integrity, and unwavering dedication to be of service to poor and needy Filipinos, Kuya Rene shall always be my idol. He will be missed dearly by a grateful nation, by those whose lives he touched. May God grant our beloved Rene A. V. Saguisag eternal peace! ([email protected])