Pimentel wants son proclaimed

MANILA, Philippines—Former Senator Aquilino Pimentel on Wednesday asked the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) to declare his son, Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, as the 12th winner in the 2007 senatorial elections.

The young Pimentel filed an election protest against Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, who narrowly edged him by about 18,000 votes. Pimentel’s case has been pending for four years now with the SET.

A recount in Maguindanao and six other provinces revealed that Pimentel had a lead of 257,000 votes.

But he was not proclaimed after the SET opted to proceed with Zubiri’s counter-protest.

The former senator, in his motion urged the SET to dismiss Zubiri’s counter-protest using as basis Zubiri’s motion to indefinitely suspend the revision of votes which should have started last July 19.

“His motion for indefinite suspension is an abandonment of his counter-protest,” he added.