Resigned Senator Zubiri to join civil society groups

After a one-month vacation, newly resigned Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri plans to join civil society groups engaged in cooperative and environment work. Zubiri, in a radio interview early Thursday, said he had been advocating cooperatives and the environment before becoming a lawmaker. "Magpapahinga muna tayo for September, hindi pa ako nakabakasyon for 13 years... After October, Cooperative Month, babalik tayo sa adhikain natin, suportahan natin ang kooperatiba. Kasama doon ang environment advocacy, meron tayong Eco-warrior movement," he said in an interview on dwIZ radio. He also reiterated he is planning to have another child with wife Audrey. On Wednesday, Zubiri resigned his Senate post amid allegations of poll fraud in the 2007 elections, even as he insisted he knew nothing about the cheating. Zubiri said he felt "liberated" after submitting his resignation, saying he knew he did the morally right thing. Late sleep Zubiri said he did not get to sleep until at least 2 a.m. Thursday, as he spent the rest of Wednesday night answering text, email, Facebook and Twitter messages. He had spent Wednesday night fielding radio and television interviews regarding his resignation. "Medyo nakatulog tayo 2 a.m. pero okay lang, maganda pakiramdam ko. parang bagong buhay, liberated, parang bagong kasal," he said. Zubiri said he was bothered when former Maguindanao election supervisor Lintang Bedol came out and claimed there was cheating in the 2007 elections. He said that while his lawyers claimed they can delay the electoral protests against him until his term ends in 2013, he did not want things to happen that way. "It is immoral para gawin yan, kawawa rin ang aking ka-rival (It is immoral to do that. It would be unfair to my rival)," he said. To miss Angara, Enrile, Miriam Zubiri said three of the senators he would miss the most are Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Senators Edgardo Angara, and Miriam Santiago. He said he would miss Angara and Enrile for their fatherly advice, and Santiago for her "character." Zubiri had a brief word war with Santiago in 2008 over a proposed measure on bio-fuels. "Si Sen. Angara parang naging tatay ko, si Senate President Enrile parang tatay ko rin yan. Pag nagkukuwento kami napakaganda ng payo niya sa akin. Si Sen. Miriam, alam mo naman character yan," Zubiri said. Advice for Pimentel Zubiri advised Aquilino Pimentel III, his rival for the 12th spot in the 2007 senatorial race, to do his job well as he and Sen. Teofisto Guingona III will be the only voices from Mindanao left in the Senate. "Before I resigned, only Guingona and I were the senators from Mindanao. Should he [Pimentel] take my place, I hope he becomes a voice for Mindanao," he said. "I wish him all the luck, I hope he does his job well para sa ating mga kababayan," he added. — LBG, GMA News