‘Dropped’ senatoriables to campaign for Duterte

Former Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri who is taking another crack at the Senate disclosed that he and Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III have buried the hatchet and are now supporting each other in pushing for the Mindanao agenda in national governance.

Zubiri made this clarification after Pimentel, PDP Laban president, announced that Team Duterte has dropped Zubiri and 11 other senatorial hopefuls from the national campaign.

Zubiri, together with fellow senatorial aspirants Sandra Cam and retired Gen. Dionisio Santiago, accepted the decision made by PDP chairman and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, his running mate, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano and Pimentel.

Cam and Santiago said they will continue supporting Duterte because of his solid anti-crime advocacy.

However, Cam asked Pimentel and PDP-Laban not to stand in the way of Duterte’s decision to endorse her and the rest of the now disbanded Team Duterte senatorial slate.

Cam claimed Duterte remains supportive of her senatorial bid, and those of former Local Government Secretary Rafael Alunan and former Manila Councilor Greco Belgica.

“We do respect the decision of PDPLaban president Koko Pimentel. But Mayor Duterte has personally endorsed us, we do not need the endorsement of the party,” said Cam who represents Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino.

No hard feelings

Santiago said the decision to drop them was a party stand and he accepts it.

“They know what is good for the party. But I will continue campaigning for Mayor Duterte. We share the same anti-crime and anti-poverty advocacies,” the retired AFP chief of staff said.

Zubiri likewise said he will yield to the reasons behind the decision which does not include a rivalry between him and Pimentel which stemmed from a bitterly fought election protest filed by the incumbent senator in connection with the 2007 senatorial race.

“I respect the decision. We are no longer at odds with each other, I greeted him when he celebrated his birthday three weeks ago,” Zubiri said.

Zubiri resigned his Senate seat in August 3. 2011. More than a week after his resignation, the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) declared Pimentel the 12th winning senator in the 2007 midterm election.

However, Pimentel continued to hold a grudge against the Bukidnon lawmaker that he resigned from the 2013 United Nationalist Alliance senatorial slate which included Zubiri.

“What Team Duterte wants is a lean and mean national campaign. That’s understandable, magastos din ang magkaroon ng Senate slate,” Zubiri noted.

Earlier, OFW welfare advocate Susan Ople said she welcomes the PDP-Laban decision but noted that Pimentel spilled the beans to the media first before informing them.

Pimentel apologized and later announced his support for Ople for taking the cudgels for OFWs in distress in other countries.