Zubiri says he’s redeemed from 2007 poll fraud allegations

Senatorial aspirant Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri on Thursday said his ratings in the latest voters’ preference polls redeemed him from his resignation in 2011 amid poll fraud allegations.

“Being high in the ratings is a redeeming position from what I did in 2011,” Zubiri said during the Pandesal Forum at the Kamuning Bakery Cafe.

In the latest voters’ preference polls by Pulse Asia released December 2015, Zubiri placed fifth place with 55.9 percent of respondents voting for him in the senatorial race.

Meanwhile, in the latest survey by Social Weather Stations released the same month, Zubiri placed at fourth place with 40 percent of voters.

For the 2016 elections, Zubiri is running as an independent candidate. He is also an adopted candidate under the senatorial tickets of Vice President Jejomar Binay, Senator Grace Poe, and Davao city Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

Zubiri denied that he cheated his way into the Senate in 2007 when his seat was contested by Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III over alleged poll fraud.

Zubiri later resigned from the Senate just before the Senate Electoral Tribunal proclaimed Pimentel as the 12th senator garnering over 250,000 votes more than those for Zubiri.

Zubiri claimed he remains to be the only elected official who resigned from office out of delicadeza.

“Maraming politikong ayaw magbigay ng pwesto. Ako lang sa history ng Philippine Senate na kusang loob nagresign sa posisyon out of delicadeza,” Zubiri said.

Despite being battered by allegations by Pimentel, Zubiri said he is now friends with the senator.

“I would like to state on record. Magkaibigan na kami ngayon. We support each other in or advocacies in Mindanao,” Zubiri said. Zubiri is from Bukidnon, while Pimentel is from Cagayan De Oro city.

Poll fraud controversy

Zubiri’s name was dragged in the controversy when an aide of former governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. implicated him in an alleged post-election operation.

In the 2007 elections, Zubiri beat Pimentel for the 12th Senate seat by over 18,000 votes, compelling Pimentel to file an electoral protest questioning Zubiri’s win citing tampered ballots from Mindanao.

In 2011, Zubiri resigned citing delicadeza and to protect his family and integrity, just before the Senate Electoral Tribunal proclaimed Pimentel as winner.

Pimentel later conducted a probe on the poll fraud. The witness Ahmad Mamucao, an information officer, testified before the Senate that former Maguindanao governor Ampatuan Sr. facilitated the cheating allegedly upon the orders of former President now Pampanga Representative Gloria Arroyo. Ampatuan Sr. would later be detained for murder in the Maguindanao massacre. He has passed away in 2015.

In a post-election operation to rig the results in June 2007, the witness supposedly coordinated with Zubiri’s cousin named Rudy to bring blank election returns, certificates of canvass, and ballots at a boxing gym in Maramag, Bukidnon supposedly owned by Zubiri.

Zubiri denied having a cousin named Rudy and owning the gym allegedly used in the operation.

He maintained that he is not involved in the allegations of cheating in the 2007 elections, when the Arroyo’s administration slate Team Unity which included Zubiri got a 12-0 sweep in Maguindanao.

He said those who are close to the administration should be at fault.

“Nung paglabas ng principal suspect sa dayaan sa 2007, hindi natin kasalanan yun. Walang kasalanan ang kandidato dito, ang kasalanan ang nagsisipsip at the time sa posisyon,” Zubiri said.

‘Integrity is very important to me’

He said he could have waited for a decision on their pending case before the Senate Electoral Tribunal, and elevate the issue to the Supreme Court.

But Zubiri said he chose to protect his integrity.

“I could have brought it up to the Supreme Court. Ako, napakahalaga sa atin ang aking integridad,” Zubiri said.

A losing senatorial candidate in the 2013 elections, Zubiri said he has regained his standing and is ready to reclaim the Senate seat he lost in 2011.

He came in at 14th place in the 2013 senatorial race, while Pimentel got in at eighth place. He was then running under Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance.

“Resigning in 2011 and eventually losing in 2013 have been more than enough as a way of moving forward,” Zubiri said.

He said he takes pride in not being dragged into any corruption allegations since he first won as Bukidnon representative in 1998 and as senator in 2007.

“I’ve not been involved in any sort of corruption issues. I have not touched government coffers since I started in 1998,” Zubiri said.

“That is my style of governance. Integrity is very important to me,” he added. JE