Koko Pimentel gets proclaimed as winner of the 2007 polls by Senators Pia Cayetano and Francis Pangilinan of the Senate Electoral Tribunal. Pimentel is joined by his family led by Aquilino Sr., right and his wife, Jewel, and kids. Photo by Junny Roy for abs-cbnNEWS.com
The Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) finally proclaimed Thursday afternoon lawyer Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III as a winner in the 2007 polls.
The tribunal gave merit to Pimentel’s election protest, which raised questions of irregularity and fraud in the ballots and election returns obtained from precincts in Mindanao.
Based on the SET’s appreciation, Pimentel led by 258,166 votes from Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, who announced his resignation August 3.
The tribunal studied a total of 384,680 ballots, of which only 69,811 were accepted.
The tribunal rejected a total of 254,222 spurious and fake ballots. These ballots were considered fake because of deformities in the watermark, no ultraviolet spots and after-glow spots, as well as chemical or solvent insensitive.
SET also said the fake ballots’ microprints were not readable even under a magnifying glass. It also noted these were shorter compared to the genuine ballots.
It also said around 60,000 genuine ballots were also rejected because they were prepared by 1 or 2 persons, based on the style and stroke of the hand-writing.
The SET’s findings put credence into allegations of new witnesses to cheating during the 2007 mid-term polls.
Suspended Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan and former Maguindanao election supervisor Lintang Bedol have signed affidavits saying they were ordered by Malacañang to pad the votes for Zubiri while reducing the votes for 3 opposition bets in Maguindanao and other controlled areas.
The tribunal also fast-tracked the appreciation of the ballots following Zubiri’s decision to drop a counter-protest. The latter had asked the SET to study a total of 73,265 poll centers.
After announcing his resignation in a privilege speech at the Senate last week, Zubiri subsequently pulled out his counter-protest.
Jubilant
Pimentel ran under the opposition ticket while Zubiri ran under the administration slate.
The newly-proclaimed senator was seen as early as 12:00 noon at Hotel Sofitel in Pasay where the SET later announced its decision. It was a unanimous vote by members, except for Senator Lito Lapid, who is abroad.
Surrounded by family and friends, Pimentel said his goal as a lawmaker is to implement electoral reforms.
He also wants to become a member of the SET “to correct the loopholes [in its rules].”
In a press conference on Thursday morning, he also revealed his intention of joining the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.
He will proceed to Mati, Davao Oriental Thursday night.
He will take his oath Friday morning there, where he garnered the most votes during the 2007 elections.
He expects to join the Senate as a member of its ranks on Monday morning.
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