Comelec chief: Zubiri may be eligible to run for two terms

Because of his resignation on Wednesday, Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri may be eligible to run for two consecutive terms from 2013 to 2019 and from 2019 to 2025, Commission on Elections Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said Thursday. Brillantes said Zubiri's 2007-2013 term may be considered as belonging to Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, his rival for the 12th senatorial slot in the 2007 elections, should the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) declare Pimentel the winner. "Hindi counted sa kanya itong present term. Kung nakaupo si Koko one to two months from now, kay Koko ibibilang ang first term. Siya ang talo, hindi siya nakaupo ng anim na taon, makakaupo siya one-and-a-half years pero counted sa kanya ang buong term," Brillantes said in an interview on dwIZ radio. "[So] kung tatakbo si Koko for reelection he will be running for his second term, Zubiri will be running for his first term," he added.

Ironically, Brillantes served as an election lawyer for the then opposition and had questioned Zubiri's victory over Pimentel in the 2007 race. On Wednesday, Zubiri resigned as senator, amid claims of cheating by the then Gloria Macapagal Arroyo administration in the 2007 elections. Zubiri ran under the administration's TEAM Unity, while Pimentel ran under the Genuine Opposition. The two contested the 12th and last slot in the senatorial race. Pimentel, who lauded Zubiri's gesture, said he will ask the SET to speed up its resolution of the protest he had filed, now that Zubiri had resigned. While Zubiri said he plans to run for a Senate term in the 2013 elections, he admitted he does not know if he is eligible to run for a second term after 2013-2019. "Hindi ko alam kung pede pa akong tatakbo after 2013-2019. Pero ang daming lumapit sa akin kahapon, 'huwag ka mag-alala Migz, ibig sabihin niyan may two terms ka pa,' sabi nila. That's subject to a legal debate, subject to the decision of the Comelec, baka may umakyat sa Supreme Court," Zubiri said in a separate interview on dwIZ. After his resignation, Zubiri also said he will withdraw his counter-protest against Koko, who has named him respondent in an electoral protest lodged before the SET. The 1987 Constitution defines the terms of senators in Articles VI and XVIII respectively: Sec. 4: The term of office of the Senators shall be six years and shall commence, unless otherwise provided by law, at noon on the thirtieth day of June next following their election. No liability Meanwhile, Brillantes said Zubiri is not yet on the Comelec's liability radar, at least in the poll body's probe of alleged cheating in the 2007 elections. Brillantes said the only time Zubiri can be held liable is if the investigation finds he attempted to cover up the alleged irregularities. "(Wala siyang) liability unless kung may ginawa siyang cover-up, which means alam niya pero di siya nagsasalita. Base sa statement niya wala siyang nakausap... at kung may dayaan wala siyang kinalaman diyan," Brillantes said. For now, he said Zubiri's resignation implied an admission that his victory in 2007 may not have been legitimate due to allegations of cheating. "It's an admission of cheating but not necessarily admitting participation. We'll still investigate," Brillantes noted. "Whether Zubiri was a part of [cheating] or not, hindi namin alam. Mukhang siya ang beneficiary kasi siya ang pinakamalapit sa 12 (Whether Zubiri had a part in the poll fraud, we do not know for now. But it would appear he was the beneficiary because he was the closest to 12th place)," Brillantes said. In the 2007 race, Zubiri beat opposition bet Koko Pimentel, who promptly lodged a protest before the Senate Electoral Tribunal. — LBG, GMA News