Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III gets 2 chairmanships

The last senator to join the chamber was not left without a committee to head.

Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III got his wish when his colleagues agreed in a caucus Tuesday night to “create” a committee on electoral reforms, which he would be heading in the coming days.

Pimentel will also chair the committee on games, amusement and sports, which was voluntarily given up by Sen. Manuel Lapid during the caucus, according to Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III.

Sotto said there was an old committee on electoral reforms before it was incorporated into Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago’s committee on constitutional amendments, revision of codes and laws.

“We first sought the approval of Senator Santiago for Koko’s committee and she agreed,” said Sotto, who was set to file a resolution that would pave the way for the electoral reforms committee.

During his proclamation last week, Pimentel volunteered to focus on electoral reforms in his remaining two years in the Senate. He said he got involved more deeply in the issue considering his four-year election protest against Juan Miguel Zubiri, who resigned two weeks ago to pave the way for Pimentel’s entry in the Senate.

Pimentel was assigned as a member to 21 other committees such as those covering education, health and demography.