Migz mulling contempt charges vs Koko

MANILA, Philippines - Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri is mulling contempt charges against lawyer Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III for proclaiming before the media that he is winning in the election protest before the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET).

Romulo Macalintal and George Garcia, Zubiri’s lawyers, said Pimentel violated a SET gag order on the issue.

Pimentel’s figures were based on the report of his own team of revisors, not that of the SET, which is still hearing the case, the lawyers said.

Zubiri said it is too early for Pimentel to predict the outcome of the electoral protest against him.

“An election protest that hears only one side is no election protest at all, especially if there is a counter protest. For the record, the present status is that we are only in 25 percent of our counter protest,” he said.

“If Koko was allowed to revise 100 percent of his protested areas, why should we be denied the same?

“So, I am telling you, until the SET gives out its decision on the case this electoral protest is far from over.”

Zubiri called for a stop to the “media hype” on issues affecting his and Pimentel’s personal interest.

“If Koko believes that he already won in the protest then so be it,” he said.

“But may I please remind the Pimentels to always back their claims with factual or legal documents, being lawyers themselves,” he said.

Zubiri said it was irresponsible for Pimentel to declare at a press conference that he was already winning the election protest.

“As a lawyer he should know not to irresponsibly make any claims because the legal process has not yet been completed,” he said.

“So any statement seeking to preempt the SET is totally irresponsible and uncalled for.

“It will be the Filipino people who will decide if any injustice has been done to them. Records and facts will prove that I have dutifully and responsibly fulfilled my duties as a duly elected senator of the Republic to the best of my abilities.”

Pimentel has brushed aside Zubiri’s threat to file a contempt complaint against him before the Comelec.

“Even this contempt charge he is threatening me with is but a dilatory tactic on his part to stave off the inevitable,” he said.

Pimentel said Zubiri cannot deny the Filipino people their right to be informed on a very important matter like their election of the 12th senator in 2007.

“The people want to know who really won because they would not allow someone with a dubious electoral mandate to craft laws on their behalf,” he said.

Pimentel said he talked about his protest last Wednesday as part of a public information campaign to ensure that next year’s automated elections would have enough safeguards.

“The context of my reference to my protest was how it is much easier to prove electoral fraud was committed under a manual system of election than to prove the same under an automated system,” he said.

Pimentel said the revision of votes on the pilot precincts identified in his protest had been completed as early as February last year.