With his multifaceted talent, he excelled in almost everything he did — as a legal luminary, a human rights advocate, a model of principled politics, a law professor, and writer-critic whose analyses of public affairs had provided enlightenment to many. His personal attributes are legendary — kindness, humility, moral courage, and what was described as "the most overriding constancy — the all-abiding presence of God in everything he did, said, or wrote." Ka Jovy, acknowledged by many as our greatest living statesman has authored a number of books which are considered some of the most brilliant critiques of our political history. These include The Task of Building a Better Nation, The Intangibles that Make a Nation Great, A Journey of Struggle and Hope, Presidential Plunder, and the latest, which was launched early this month, Not by Power or Wealth Alone. The latter, primarily a compilation of the author’s speeches, meditations, prayers, and spiritual reflections, reaffirm his belief that "Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno, who had reviewed the book says: "It richly and powerfully inspires readers to step back, take a long view and search into their innermost selves to find the strength — which comes not from worldly wealth or power, but from the cross on which hung a most loving God in all His frailty and glory — and wield this strength to fight the evils that grip our beloved country and serve the least of our brethren."

At the luncheon hosted by Monetary Board Member, Nitz Amatong and PNB Chair, Flor Tarriela, and attended by officers and friends from organizations he founded — Kilosbayan, Bantay Katarungan, Bantayog ng Mga Bayani, writer E.P. Dakanay commented that his main purpose in organizing a collection of writings by Ka Jovy is to leave a legacy behind to his children — to ensure that the history of our struggle for freedom and democracy is not distorted. He noted that last July 7, 2007, family and friends of former President Marcos held a relaunching of books written by the late dictator. Already, some of the textbooks in basic education carry comprehensive coverage of the Martial Law years where the Marcos regime had been pictured in a positive light. These lop-sided accounts of history by proMarcos writers are insidious attempts to obliterate sacrifices made by those who struggled against oppressive tyranny.

Today, the ghosts of the past seem to be restless and are beginning to reappear. The heirs of the dictator are asserting their claim to shares of the wealth accumulated by past cronies. Justice and peace — two goals that Senator Salonga had passionately pursued and which he describes as the "human aspiration of our time" and "divine imperatives" appear to be still far from our reach.

But Senator Salonga sees hope in the "awakening of the people" all over Asia. Quoting the words of the Christian Assembly held in Asia in 1981, he describes "this new mood, where a new history is being written, where no longer are the victories and exploits of the powerful are crucial to an understanding of history. Now, the deep movements of the human spirit and the growing solidarity of the people are the reference points for understanding history." In the country, our hope lies in the visible growing strength of people power. If we continue to nurture this, we would eventually witness a paradigm shift — movement of power from the center to the local communities, and the gradual weakening of oligarchy and political dynasties. This is the legacy of Ninoy Aquino, Pepe Diokno, Lorenzo Tañada, and Jovito Salonga. My e-mail is florbraid@yahoo.com