Koko Pimentel to join Aquino majority

MANILA, Philippines—With resigned Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri now out of the picture, President Benigno Aquino III has found himself yet another ally in a chamber already predominantly friendly to his administration.

Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III on Friday threw his support behind Mr. Aquino while awaiting his formal proclamation as the rightful winner of the 12th and final slot in the 2007 senatorial elections.

“I will look for a group that is supportive of President Aquino,” Pimentel told the Inquirer when asked how his entry to the Senate would affect political alliances in the chamber.

The hunt apparently would not be a difficult one for Pimentel, considering that senators have been generally supportive of the President’s legislative agenda.

Particularly loyal to Mr. Aquino are members of the Liberal Party bloc. Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, for instance, has been initiating Blue Ribbon Committee investigations of officials identified with the previous administration, in coordination with the Palace.

“If you recall, we even had to come up with a minority bloc [last year],” said Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III, referring to the chamber’s overwhelming support for Mr. Aquino when he assumed office last year.

Pimentel said his support for the President would also involve a certain “sentimentality” considering that his PDP-Laban party has been historically linked to the political journey of the Aquino family.

But Pimentel’s father, former Sen. Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr., did not support Mr. Aquino’s candidacy in 2010, saying the then first-term senator was still “too green” to become President.

The younger Pimentel made it clear Friday that his support for Mr. Aquino would be “issue-based.”

“I will not be a lapdog. I cannot yield if the disagreement would involve fundamental principles,” he said in Filipino, noting that he previously opposed Malacañang’s effort to postpone the elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Sen. Pia Cayetano said Friday the Senate Electoral Tribunal could now rule “with dispatch” on Pimentel’s election protest after Zubiri had formally withdrawn his counter-protest. Zubiri did so last Thursday, the day after he announced his resignation in a privilege speech.

Based on the revised ballots and other election documents, Cayetano noted that Pimentel had recovered a total of 257,401 votes. Zubiri’s lead over Pimentel in the 2007 count was only 18,519 votes.

Despite the anticipated victory, Pimentel will serve only the remaining two years of what should have been a six-year term. What apparently happened was some sort of a term-sharing, with Zubiri enjoying four years as a senator.

“Hinati na nga, hindi pa hating-kapatid,” he said in jest.

As soon as he is proclaimed, Pimentel said he would virtually hit the ground running.

He has begun assembling his Senate staff and a team of consultants that would help him craft the bills he had promised during the 2007 campaign. He said his legislative work would focus on improving the justice system, particularly electoral reform.

Pimentel said he would also urge the Commission on Elections to introduce a new system of automation in the 2013 elections to keep possible cheats “off balance.”

“I’m not saying that the system in the 2010 elections was deffective, but I’m sure people planning to cheat have studied the old system,” he said. “We have to be one step ahead of them.”