Senate reports Zubiri resignation to SET

The Senate has formally reported the resignation of Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri to the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET), where the former lawmaker is facing an electoral protest filed by Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III. In a letter addressed to SET chairman Justice Antonio Carpio, Senate Secretary Emma Lirio-Reyes informed the tribunal about Zubiri's resignation on Wednesday afternoon. "I have been directed to inform your honor that in the plenary session of even date, Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, in a question of personal and collective privilege, submitted his reisgnation as senator of the republic," said Reyes. The letter, dated August 3, was received by SET on Thursday, August 4, at 9:50 a.m. The transmission was made after the senators decided to just submit Zubiri's resignation to the SET rather than vote on whether or not they would accept it. Earlier in the day, Zubiri's lawywers also filed a motion to withdraw the senator's counter-protest against Pimentel. Sen. Edgardo Angara, meanwhile, said the SET would now just need one to two weeks to declare Pimentel as the real 12th winning senator during the 2007 elections. Pimentel ranked 13th in the 2007 elections with 10,987,347 votes while Zubiri scraped through at 12th with 11,005,866 votes. Pimentel contested Zubiri's win. — Kimberly Jane Tan/RSJ, GMA News