Reports have surfaced that Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III has sent former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada a letter, asking the latter to drop resigned Senator Juan Miguel “Migs” Zubiri from the UNA slate.

Erap Estrada is part of the core executive committee of the United Nationalist Alliance or UNA. UNA is a coalition of various political parties including Estrada’s Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino and Pimentel’s PDP Laban that is set to field candidates for the 2013 elections.

Pimentel has always been candid in saying that the former Bukidnon congressman was a beneficiary of electoral fraud during the 2007 midterm elections. Zubiri only resigned from the Senate on August 2011. This means that Pimentel “lost” 4 years.

With the 2013 elections coming up, Pimentel has also been constant in saying that Zubiri should not be part of the UNA slate. Pimentel said that he does not feel comfortable campaigning alongside Zubiri, whom he believes was a beneficiary of electoral fraud.

Bukidnon Online received scanned copies of Pimentel’s letter addressed to Erap Estrada. In the letter, Pimentel stressed to his “Ninong Erap” his “vehement objections to the inclusion of Migz Zubiri in the UNA senatorial slate.”

Read below:

PRESIDENT JOSEPH ESTRADA

Core Executive Committee

United Nationalist Alliance (UNA)

Dear Ninong Erap,

I hope this letter finds you in the best of health!

Please allow me to elaborate on my vehement objections to the inclusion of Migz Zubiri in the UNA senatorial slate.

I cannot run with Migz in the same senatorial ticket for the following reasons:

One, I am the complainant in the electoral sabotage cases against Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Benjamin Abalos. Migz is the biggest beneficiary of the fraud perpetrated in the 2007 elections, which is the subject matter of these electoral sabotage cases.

Two, I have received death threats because of my filing of those electoral sabotage cases. In short, I have put my life on the line in the fight against electoral fraud. What has Migz done in this regard? Well, he enjoyed tremendously the benefits of a stolen office. He held on to the proceeds of the crime of electoral fraud for four long years and two months!

Three, this is the same Migz who, in his pleadings filed with the Senate Electoral Tribunal, at first accused me of electoral fraud, and when the public did not buy this, shifted to accusing the “opposition” of having perpetrated the electoral fraud against him in the 2007 elections. The “opposition” in 2007 was led by you and then Makati Mayor, now Vice-President, JejomarBinay. Migz even put Makati City as number one in the list of places where he claimed to have been cheated by the “opposition”. If you still remember, our campaign manager in 2007 was then San Juan City Mayor JV Ejercito. The real cheater called all of us “cheats”.

Four, Migz is not a team player. He junks his party-mates. Attached is the result in the Province of Bukidnon in the 2007 senatorial elections.

Five, there is already a sworn statement that fake election documents and ballots were stored in a compound in Maramag, Bukidnon owned by the Zubiris. In short, the evidence for the crime of electoral sabotage is already at the doorsteps of Migz Zubiri. Does UNA really want to be tainted with this heinous crime?

Six, I am very passionate about electoral reform. There is no way, during the campaign of 2013, that I can avoid attacking election cheaters. We will be on the same stage and I will be attacking him? This is the scenario I am avoiding.

I realize that I need UNA’s help in order to win as Senator in 2013. But if UNA requires me to run with an election cheat before help is extended to me, then I am prepared to lose, for as long as I remain true to what I passionately believe in.

Salamat po ninong sa lahat ng tulong sa mga nakaraang taon.

Sincerely yours,

Koko Pimentel

AQUILINO “KOKO” L. PIMENTEL III

Senator PDP Laban

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