Friday, August 12, 2011

Koko: A rare gentleman’s act, but long overdue

By Perseus Echeminada and Jose Rodel Clapano
The Philippine Star
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Aquilino ‘Koko’ Pimentel III

MANILA, Philippines – It was a rare gentleman’s act that should have been done four years ago.
This was how senatorial candidate Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and his father and namesake former senator Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr. described yesterday the resignation of Juan Miguel Zubiri from the Senate.
The younger Pimentel said Zubiri’s resignation was seldom seen in Philippine politics.
“I admire Zubiri for his rare gentleman’s act,” he said.
Nene Pimentel said Zubiri could have resigned much earlier, before the controversy over his mandate was put into question.
“It should have been done four years ago. I thank all the people who trusted Koko Pimentel. I don’t want to add more burden and headache on Zubiri, but the truth has finally come out. This is what Koko fought for,” the elder Pimentel said.
Koko, on the other hand, said the resignation of Zubiri would set into motion his electoral protest against the senator.
“This is a very seldom development. We will file a motion in the SET (Senate Electoral Tribunal) to hasten the resolution of my protest. My reading, as a lawyer, the resignation of someone who has been protested will hasten the resolution of election protests,” he said.
The younger Pimentel stressed there is nothing wrong in his election protest against Zubiri.
“He (Zubiri) still has an element of a gentleman because he resigned. The protest is not wrong. At least, the fight is now fair,” he said.
Pimentel disputed the claim of Zubiri that there is no legal basis in his electoral protest.
He said the SET has already completed the revision of contested votes.
Pimentel said his father, also his lawyer, had already set into motion the petition to immediately proclaim him as the 12th winning senator in the 2007 elections.
Pimentel said Zubiri had resigned from the Senate because he saw “himself as… unlawfully occupying the contested position.”
He stressed his protest against Zubiri is a political and legal question that needs to be resolved because it involves a senatorial term of office from June 30, 2007 to June 30, 2013.
“Roughly four years had already been consumed in interminable legal squabbling in the SET,” Pimentel said.
Pimentel also urged the SET to take into account the recent revelations of former Mindanao regional governor Zaldy Ampatuan and former election official Lintang Bedol that some 195,000 votes were credited to Zubiri in a supposed election fraud scheme in Maguindanao during the 2007 elections.
“The fakery that characterized the 2007 elections in Maguindanao that credited 195,000 fake votes to Zubiri and which in turn led to his fake proclamation as a senator had already been proven by evidence duly presented to the Tribunal,” Pimentel said.
Zubiri maintained he did not cheat his way into the Senate.
‘Highest form of moral courage’
Before he made the speech announcing his resignation, Zubiri informed a handful of colleagues a couple of weeks ago of his plan to resign.
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said Zubiri met with him to inform him about his plan to quit.
Enrile told Zubiri that the resignation of a member of the Senate was unprecedented and he would have to study its legal implications.
In an impromptu message during yesterday’s session, Enrile commended Zubiri for his courage and for choosing to defend his honor instead of asserting his power as a senator.
Enrile said it was a rare occasion to witness the resignation of a member of the Senate.
“It is the highest form of moral courage to uphold one’s honor and die for it if necessary. To show that there is something more valuable than power, perquisites, wealth and life itself, if it becomes necessary to lay down your life to uphold the dignity of yourself as a man and the dignity of your family,” Enrile told Zubiri, standing in rapt attention facing the podium.
“I’m sad that we’re going to lose you but I’m sure that what you did today in this chamber, what you showed us in this chamber today, what you showed the Filipino people, will be remembered and your detractors will be chastised and that you shall come back here again to be with the members of this Senate,” Enrile said.
Enrile said he would not immediately act on Zubiri’s resignation and take the issue up with members of the Senate.
He said Zubiri’s resignation was unprecedented and “historical” considering it was voluntary.
“We cannot stop you for what you did because it’s a matter of honor and as head of this chamber, I will tell you I will study your resignation and make a decision in due time. I will consult the members of the chamber about it,” he told Zubiri.
Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr. said he tried to dissuade Zubiri from pushing through with his plan to resign, to wait until the final decision of the SET.
Senate President Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Estrada also said he tried to discourage Zubiri from resigning.
“I said you have to fight it out if you really did nothing. You really have to fight it out. But we have to respect his decision,” Estrada said.
Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III said that he was surprised with Zubiri’s decision to quit. He said Zubiri could have fought it out until the end.
Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, for his part, lamented the loss of a fellow native of Bukidnon, whom he described as a very hardworking member of the Senate.
Zubiri’s former colleagues at the House of Representatives said the resignation “demonstrates a sense of delicadeza (propriety) that other mature public servants lack.”
House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II said Zubiri could even make a strong political comeback after his resignation.
Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. said Zubiri showed strength of character.
“The true test of character is not the drive by which one acquires power but the grade by which one relinquishes it,” he said.
Zubiri served for three terms or nine years as Bukidnon congressman before running for the Senate.
Malacañang said they respect Zubiri’s decision to resign.
“We respect the decision of Mr. Zubiri to relinquish his post in the Senate. It represents a way forward to start healing the wounds of the past. We thank him for the service he has given our countrymen,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.
Lacierda urged the resigned senator to demonstrate his willingness to restore dignity to the electoral process.
“Any contribution he makes can be vital in restoring the people’s mandate and in giving the Filipinos the meaningful electoral reforms they rightfully deserve,” Lacierda added.
Vice President Jejomar Binay said Zubiri deserved higher respect with his decision to resign from the Senate.
“I have the highest respect for Miguel Zubiri and his reason for resigning from the Senate. His resignation helps reinforce the people’s faith in our leaders and shows that decency is very much alive in our political institutions. I hope he will continue his advocacies, particularly for the environment, as a private citizen,” Binay said.
Not yet
Sen. Francis Escudero said it was a difficult decision for Zubiri to resign.
Escudero, as former member of the SET that took jurisdiction over the protest cases filed by Pimentel, said the electoral protest would have to continue.
Escudero explained that until the SET issues its ruling, Pimentel would not be able to assume the seat left vacant by Zubiri.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said the resignation of Zubiri does not automatically qualify Pimentel for the vacancy.
De Lima, who was Pimentel’s election lawyer, also said Zubiri’s resignation did not put closure to questions on his victory in the 2007 polls.
“Sen. Zubiri’s resignation does not automatically mean the assumption of Koko Pimentel to the vacancy, although it can speed up the process. SET has yet to annul Zubiri’s proclamation by declaring Pimentel as the rightful winner,” she explained.
De Lima admitted she has yet to be convinced by Zubiri’s motive in resigning, calling it a “surprising development” and “a pleasant surprise for the cause of truth and electoral justice.”
De Lima also questioned why Enrile decided not to immediately accept the resignation when it was supposed to be irrevocable as expressed by Zubiri himself.
On the other hand, lawyer Howard Calleja said Zubiri’s resignation vindicated the statements made by his client Ampatuan.
Calleja said Zubiri’s decision to resign from the Senate only showed Ampatuan was telling the truth behind the fraud in the 2007 elections.
Alaminos City Mayor Hernani Braganza says he sympathizes with Zubiri’s predicament, but admires his courage to resign as senator.
“What a loss. He did very well as a senator in the positions he held and the legislation he fought for, ” he said.
Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) chair Henrietta de Villa said the resignation of Zubiri would boost the joint investigation on the electoral fraud in 2004 and 2007.
“It is a very good development for the investigation… I welcome what he had done,” De Villa said.
She said it was “very unusual that someone (in power) will resign.”
“But without implying agenda, the act of resigning itself is laudable,” De Villa said.
An official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said Zubiri’s resignation had put his family above his political ambition.
CBCP-National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice and Peace executive secretary Fr. Edu Gariguez said Zubiri’s decision to leave the Senate came at a time when his winning the 12th slot in the 2007 elections was being questioned.
“This decision to resign in the face of election controversies even without admitting fault… We welcome this gesture of putting the interest of his family over his political ambition,” Gariguez said. –With Marvin Sy, Delon Porcalla, Jess Diaz, Evelyn Macairan, Aie Balagtas See, Edu Punay, Sheila Crisostomo

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