KOKO PIMENTEL
NAHAHARAP si Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III sa bagong disqualification matapos maghain ng kanyang certificate of candidacy (COC) para sa pagka-senador sa May 2019 midterm elections.
Inihain ng abogadong si Ferdinand Topacio ang kaso laban kay Pimentel sa clerk ng Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Sinabi ni Topacio na hindi na maaaring tumakbo si Pimentel dahil natapos na niya ang dalawang termino bilang senador.
“Well, because of the two consecutive term limit as stated in the constitution,” sabi ni Topacio.
Ipinaliwanag ni Topacio na umupo si Pimentel bilang senador noong 2007. Unang idineklara ng National Board of Canvassers na si Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri ang nanalo bilang pang-12 senador, bagamat naglabas ng desisyon ang Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) noong Agosto 2011 pabor kay Pimentel.
Dahil dito, ipinagpatuloy ni Pimentel ang natitirang dalawang taong termino ni Zubiri.
Nangangahulugan ito, na natapos ni Pimentel ang kanyang unang termino mula 2007 hanggang 2013.
“It’s his first term. We should differentiate term from tenure. Term is always fixed…His tenure may have been lacking, but his term is always full because he was the one elected in 2007, not Zubiri,” ayon pa kay Topacio.
Tumakbo at nanalo naman si Pimentel noong 2013 at nagsilbi pa bilang Senate Presidente mula 2016 hanggang 2018.
“You know, Koko is a good friend of mine, but I’ve already advised him when he asked me to research on the matter that I think…I told him in my humble legal opinion: You are already proscribed from seeking another term because that would be your third term. But, well, he did not heed my advice,” sabi pa ni Topacio. Inqurer.net