Aquilino Pimentel III

The Honorable
Aquilino Pimentel III
28th President of the Senate of the Philippines
Assumed office
July 25, 2016
President Rodrigo Duterte
Preceded by Franklin Drilon
Chair of the Philippine Senate
Electoral Reforms and
People's Participation Committee
In office
July 22, 2013 – July 25, 2016
Preceded by new office
Succeeded by Leila de Lima
Chair of the Philippine Senate
Justice and Human Rights Committee
In office
July 22, 2013 – July 25, 2016
Preceded by Francis Escudero
Succeeded by Leila de Lima
Senator of the Philippines
Assumed office
August 15, 2011
National Youth Commission Commissioner for Mindanao
In office
1996–1998
Personal details
Born Aquilino Martin de la Llana Pimentel III
(1964-01-20) January 20, 1964
Cagayan de Oro, Philippines
Nationality Filipino
Political party PDP–Laban (1985-Present)
Spouse(s) Jewel May Lobaton (m. 2000; separated 2011)
Children Aquilino Martin Emmanuel L. Pimentel VI
Aquilino Justo L. Pimentel VII
Parents Aquilino Pimentel Jr.
Lourdes de la Llana-Pimentel
Relatives Gwendolyn Pimentel-Gana (sister)
Aquilino E. Pimentel Sr. (grandfather)
Petra Quilinging-Pimentel (grandmother)
Alma mater Ateneo de Manila University (B.S.)
University of the Philippines Diliman (LL.B.)
Occupation Politician
Profession Lawyer & Lecturer

Aquilino Martin de la Llana Pimentel III, commonly known as Koko Pimentel, is a Filipino politician who is the 28th and current Senate President of the Philippines.[1][2] He is also the current president of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban). As the eldest son and third child of the former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel, Jr., he is the first child of a previous senate president to hold the post.[3] He was sworn–in on August 11, 2011 and proclaimed as the 12th winning senator in the 2007 election.[4]

Early life

Aquilino Martin de la Llana Pimentel III was born on January 20, 1964 in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines.[5][6] His parents are Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. and Lourdes de la Llana-Pimentel. His father was a lawyer and dean of law at Xavier University at the time of his birth. The elder Pimentel eventually became a senator.[6] He also has a sister named Gwendolyn Pimentel-Gana, who unsuccessfully ran for senator under the Nacionalista Party-led coalition in the 2010 elections. In 2015, she was appointed as a commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights.[7]

Pimentel earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Ateneo de Manila University and his Bachelor of Laws from University of the Philippines College of Law.[5][6] He topped the 1990 Philippine Bar Examinations with a score of 89.85 percent.[8]

Pimentel began working as a lawyer in 1990, and was commissioner (representing Mindanao) on the National Youth Commission from 1995 to 1998. He was a professor for the University of the East College of Law from 2007 to 2010 and also for the MBA-JD Program of the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business and Far Eastern University Institute of Law from 2006 until his election to the senate in August 2011.[5] He was conferred Doctor of Humanities honoris causa by the Polytechnic University of the Philippines on May 18, 2012.[9]

In January 2000, Pimentel married 1998 Miss Universe Philippines Jewel May Lobaton, with whom he has two sons.[10] Lobaton is a distant cousin of Juan Miguel Zubiri, who happens to be Pimentel's political rival.[11] Pimentel and Lobaton have been living separately since November 2011.[12]

Political career

2001 election

Pimentel ran for Cagayan de Oro City mayor in the 2001 elections but lost to Vicente Emano.[13]

2007 election

Running in only his second race in the May 14, 2007 senatorial elections, Pimentel was narrowly defeated by Bukidnon Congressman Miguel Zubiri for the 12th and last slot in the Philippine Senate. The narrow margin of 18,372 votes was controversial, particularly the votes from the southern Philippine province of Maguindanao, where Pimentel had lost heavily to Zubiri.[14]

Electoral protest

In Philippine senatorial elections, the twelve candidates with the highest number of votes nationwide are elected. In the 2007 elections, Pimentel (Genuine Opposition) and Juan Miguel Zubiri (TEAM Unity) contested the 12th seat.[15][16]

In the final tally for the 2007 senatorial elections by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), Zubiri narrowly defeated Pimentel for the 12th and last seat in the Senate. Zubiri had a total of 11,005,866 votes against Pimentel's 10,984,347 votes.[15] On July 14, 2007, Zubiri was proclaimed as the 12th winning senator.[16]

Claiming fraudulent votes in 22 municipalities of Maguindanao, 7 in Lanao del Norte, 3 in Shariff Kabunsuan, 2 in Basilan, 2 in Sultan Kudarat, 4 in Lanao del Sur, and 4 in Sulu, Pimentel petitioned the Supreme Court to issue a restraining order against the proclamation of Zubiri. With the vote tied at 7–7, the Supreme Court dismissed Pimentel's petition. But then-Chief Justice Reynato Puno was among the 7 jusctices who favored Pimentel's petition.[17][18]

On July 14, 2007, Pimentel filed an electoral protest to the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET). After finding grounds for a recount, the SET proceeded with the protest.[19]

On July 2011, former Maguindanao election supervisor Lintang Bedol and suspended Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao governor Zaldy Ampatuan revealed that there was massive election fraud during the 2007 election.[20]

On August 11, 2011, the Senate Electoral Tribunal released the final tally: Pimentel got 10,898,786 votes while Zubiri got 10,640,620.[21] Prior to this, on August 3, 2011, Zubiri resigned from the senate; however, he reiterated that he was not involved in the 2007 electoral fraud.[22]

On August 11, 2011, Pimentel was proclaimed by the Senate Electoral Tribunal as the rightful winner of the 12th senate seat.[23] In August 12, Pimentel took his oath of office before his supporters in Mati, Davao Oriental, where he received a high number of votes.[24]

2013 election

Pimentel (top left) during President Rodrigo Duterte's 2016 State of the Nation Address.

Pimentel was included in the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) coalition's shortlist of senatorial candidates for the 2013 election. However, citing UNA's senatorial slate now having more than twelve members and the inclusion of his longtime political rival, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Pimentel officially declined his spot in the UNA coalition on June 28, 2012.[25] Instead, Pimentel ran under the Team PNoy coalition, composed mostly of supporters of then-President Benigno Aquino III.[26] Pimentel was elected to the Senate of the Philippines, placing eighth with 14,725,114 votes.[27]

Senate President (2016-present)

On July 25, 2016, the opening day of the 17th Congress of the Philippines, Pimentel was elected as Senate President with 20 out of 23 senators voting in his favor.[28] He, along with his father Aquilino Pimentel Jr., is the only father-and-son tandem being elected as Senate President in Philippine History (the elder Pimentel served as Senate President from November 13, 2000 to July 23, 2001).[29]

References

  1. ↑ Lardizabal. C. (2016, July 26). Koko Pimentel elected as Senate President of 17th Congress. CNN Philippines.
  2. ↑ Pimentel elected as Senate president. (2016, July 25). The Philippine Star.
  3. ↑ Quismundo, T. (2016, July 26). The son also rises: Koko Pimentel makes history. Philippine Daily Inquirer
  4. ↑ Pimentel proclaimed as senator. Sunstar.com.ph (2011-08-04). Retrieved on 2011-08-12.
  5. 1 2 3 About Koko.
  6. 1 2 3 Bio Data. The Official Website of Senator Aquilino "Nene" Q. Pimentel, Jr.
  7. ↑ "PNoy appoints former LP exec as new CHR chair". GMA News. June 18, 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  8. ↑ Bar Topnotchers 1989-1992. ChanRobles™ Virtual Law Library.
  9. ↑ Commencement Address of Senator Koko Pimentel for Polytechnic University of the Philippines May 18, 2012
  10. ↑ Macairan, E. (2013, August 14). Koko’s wife eyes ‘abuse’ raps. The Philippine Star.
  11. ↑ Macaraig, Ayee (March 16, 2013). "Migz on Koko wife: I have witnesses". Rappler. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  12. ↑ Esguerra, C. V. & Ager, M. (2012, May 23). It’s official: Koko Pimentel, wife part ways. Philippine Daily Inquirer.
  13. ↑ MACARAIG, AYEE. "Aquilino Martin 'Koko' Pimentel III: ‘It’s complicated’ (September 30, 2012)". Rappler. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  14. ↑ Zubiri proclaimed 12th Senator Archived July 16, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.. Inquirer.net. Retrieved on 2011-08-12.
  15. 1 2 Pacheco, Marieton (March 14, 2008). "Zubiri: SC ruling on Pimentel bid seals case". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  16. 1 2 Legaspi, Amita (July 12, 2007). "Without TRO, Zubiri proclaimed 12th senator on Saturday". GMA News. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  17. ↑ SC paves way for Zubiri proclamation. Inquirer.net. Retrieved on 2011-08-12.
  18. ↑ Mendez, Christina (August 7, 2007). "Pimentel inhibits self from son's election protest". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  19. ↑ Linda Jumilla Tribunal finds basis to proceed with Koko 2007 elections protest. abs-cbnnews. June 19, 2008
  20. ↑ Jumilla, Lynda (July 14, 2011). "Hope comes alive for Koko Pimentel". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  21. ↑ Calonzo, Andreo (August 11, 2011). "Pimentel proclaimed 12th winning senator in '07 polls". GMA News. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  22. ↑ Ager, Maila (August 3, 2011). "Zubiri resigns amid poll fraud scandal". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  23. ↑ Koko Pimentel officially proclaimed senator, Yahoo! Philippines News, August 11, 2011, retrieved 2011-08-11
  24. ↑ Merueñas, Mark (August 12, 2011). "Koko Pimentel takes oath as senator". GMA News. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  25. ↑ Pedrasa, Ira (June 28, 2012). "It's final: Koko won't run under UNA". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  26. ↑ "Drilon's 12-0 agenda is for his own dreams - UNA". ABS-CBN News. February 24, 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  27. ↑ Bacani, Louis (June 6, 2013). "Comelec releases final, official vote tally for Senate polls". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  28. ↑ Ager, Maila. "Koko Pimentel takes Senate presidency by 20-3 vote". newsinfo.inquirer.net. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  29. ↑ Elemia, Camille. "1st in PH history: Father, son elected Senate President (July 28, 2016)". Retrieved 29 July 2016.
Senate of the Philippines
New office Chair of the Philippine Senate Electoral Reforms and
People's Participation Committee
2013–2016 		Succeeded by
Leila de Lima
Preceded by
Francis Escudero		 Chair of the Philippine Senate
Justice and Human Rights Committee
2013–2016 		Succeeded by
Leila de Lima
Political offices
Preceded by
Franklin Drilon		 President of the Senate of the Philippines
2016–present 		Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by
Jejomar Binay		 President of PDP–Laban
2013–present 		Incumbent
Order of precedence
Preceded by
Fidel Ramos
as Former President		 Order of Precedence of the Philippines
as President of the Senate of the Philippines 		Succeeded by
Pantaleon Alvarez
as Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines
Lines of succession
Preceded by
Leni Robredo
as Vice President		 Philippine presidential line of succession
as President of the Senate of the Philippines 		Succeeded by
Pantaleon Alvarez
as Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines
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