Aquilino Quilinging Pimentel Jr. (Tagalog pronunciation: [pimenˈtel], December 11, 1933 – October 20, 2019),[1] commonly known as Nene Pimentel, was a Filipino politician and human rights lawyer[2] who was one of the leading political opposition leaders during the regime of Ferdinand Marcos from the declaration of martial law in 1972 until the People Power Revolution in 1986, which removed Marcos from power.

[6] He married Lourdes "Bing" de la Llana on April 30, 1960, and they had six children, including Aquilino Pimentel III.

In 1971, Pimentel rose to national prominence as an elected delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1971, representing Misamis Oriental.

[7] The nature of the Constitutional Convention changed when then-President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law on September 21, 1972.

He had spoken out against Marcos' bid to produce a rubber stamp legislature to win legitimacy for his iron-fisted regime which was increasingly being criticized here and abroad.

His wife Bing recalled they launched his mayoralty bid in Cagayan de Oro with a mere ₱2,000 in his war chest – all the money the couple could muster.

Pimentel ran under the coalition banner of the National Union for Democracy and Freedom and the Mindanao Alliance which busted KBL dominance in Misamis Oriental.

He and his entire slate of candidates for vice mayor and seven city councilors swept the elections in Cagayan de Oro.

In 1981, while he was on a five-week training course in the United States, the COMELEC ousted him for "political turncoatism", installing the KBL candidate as mayor.

The COMELEC cited Pimentel for switching from Laban in April 1978 to the Narional Union for Democracy and Freedom in December 1979 and then running as candidate of the Mindanao Alliance in January 1980.

Meanwhile, in Manila, Pimentel's lawyer, headed by opposition leaders former senators Lorenzo Tañada and Soc Rodrigo, along with Abraham Sarmiento, Raul Gonzales and Joker Arroyo, claimed that the COMELEC had acted without jurisdiction and contented that the electorate's will should be respected.

The conflict made national headlines and photos of demonstrations in Cagayan de Oro appeared in a major daily.

To defuse the escalating turmoil, Marcos engineered a truce and reinstalled Pimentel as mayor, pending a Supreme Court decision.

Even as he was held in the military detention centers, his followers from Cagayan de Oro and other parts of the country visited him by the hundreds to boost his morale and keep his spirits high.

The feisty Pimentel, a relentless critic of the Marcos regime, was often seen with Ninoy's widow, Cory, as they rallied the opposition.

However, when Cardinal Jaime Sin brokered a political marriage between Cory and Salvador "Doy" Laurel, Pimentel graciously stepped aside and let history run its course.

However, he lost to fellow Senator Joseph Estrada, finishing fifth among the vice presidential candidates by garnering 9.9% of the vote.

Joseph Estrada was ousted in January by the second EDSA People Power Revolution, but he was pardoned by his successor, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on October 26, 2007.

[13]Before stepping down as senator, Pimentel made a final privilege speech, where he demanded the American government and the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago to return to the Philippines the Golden Tara, one of the most significant artifacts in the entire country which landed in American possession during the financial crisis in the Philippines.

[14] As chair of the Blue Ribbon Committee, he has recommended the prosecution of top government officials of previous administrations in relation to the Expo Pilipino centennial scam and the misuse of the funds of the Retirement and Separation Benefits Systems of the Armed Forces.

Recently his committee also conducted series of investigations into the allegation of Governor Luis "Chavit" Singson on jueteng scandal.

He has also gotten senate approval to return the police to the supervision of LGUs and has authored a law to fix the date for elections of ARMM officials.

Pimentel remained active in political life, taking on the role of elder statesman - continuing to criticise authoritarianism,[15] human rights violations,[16] and the Marcoses.

[18] On October 20, his son, Senator Koko Pimentel, announced that his father had died at around 5 a.m. (PST) due to complications from lymphoma.