If proclaimed senator, Koko willing to hire Zubiri's staff

Lawyer Aquilino “Koko" Pimentel III said he would be more than willing to hire the staff members working for outgoing Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, who has tendered his resignation last Wednesday. Pimentel, who has a pending poll protest against Zubiri before the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET), earlier said he was already preparing himself if and when he is eventually declared to have won in the senatorial race of the 2004 national elections. Zubiri said he resigned from his post to spare his family from further humiliation being triggered by allegations that he was among the beneficiaries of alleged poll irregularities in 2004. While concerns have been raised as to the fate of Zubiri’s Senate staff, Pimentel said he wouldn’t hesitate to come to their rescue under certain conditions. “I will absorb them because I am impressed by their qualification," Pimentel said after a press conference in Quezon City over the weekend. “I will get them not based on their being Zubiri’s staff members but because they are qualified," Pimentel added. Earlier, Zubiri’s chief of staff Alexis Valdivia already assured other staff members they would get new jobs. “We have plans to make sure that no one will be displaced, that they all will have work in or out of the Senate," Valdivia said. Zubiri’s chief of staff said the senator talked to his staff about his resignation right after consulting his father, Bukidnon Vice Governor Jose Zubiri. Zubiri’s resignation surprised many, with some praising the lawmaker for choosing to protect his family’s integrity over politics. Oath of office Pimentel said if ever the SET eventually votes in his favor, he wanted to take his oath of office in Davao Oriental, where he placed second in the senatorial race in 2004. The lawyer said there was a possibility of him moving in to the Senate office that Zubiri will be vacating at the fifth floor of the Senate building in Pasay City. While speculation on how long it will take the SET to decide ranges from a week to as long as a month, Pimentel said he does not want to rush the tribunal. “I was able to wait for four years. Ano ba naman iyong maghintay pa ng konti," he said. Pimental pointed out that he remained hopeful the SET would rule in his favor, saying, “There’s no more legal obstacle for the SET to decide." “I don’t know how they [SET members] will decide and I will not second guess. I will just let them do their job," he added. — JE, GMA News