MANILA, Philippines – It is official.
Almost a week after the resignation of Juan Miguel Zubiri from the Senate, the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) proclaimed Koko Pimentel as the winner in the 2007 senatorial race election.
SET decision is in response to the election protest Pimentel had filed, thus according to the report published via abs-cbnnews.com.
In addition to Zubiri’s decision from stepping down from his office, he had also pull-out his counter protest questioning the votes earned by Pimentel in Metro Manila in order for the process of proclaiming the new senator to be immediate.
To recall, Pimentel and Zubiri were tight rival for the last set on that election.
However, due to Zubiri’s led in Maguindanao votes, he was announced as the winner completing the 12th available set. His victory became controversial as Pimentel had filed an electoral protest which questions the votes the latter had earned in Maguindanao which was also opposed by Zubiri by filing a counter protest.
In connection to the latest statements of witnesses strengthening the allegation that there was a widespread cheating in 2007 election process, Zubiri then decided to leave his office and his set in the senate as a senator.
His decision had drawn mixed opinion from the public, some says it’s better while some points that by resigning he had only shown that the allegations were true.
On his part, however, Zubiri said that he knows that he did not cheated. But, considering the fact that witnesses claimed that there was no election happening in Maguindanao, chances would be his accumulated votes would be affected.
On the 2007 election, former senator Zubiri ran under the administration slate while Pimentel came under the opposition banner.