Senator Koko Pimentel III on Sunday thanked President Rodrigo Duterte for endorsing his re-election bid, crediting the support of the President for his strong showing in the latest survey of senatorial candidates.
“I am honored and grateful for the endorsement of the President. His support for PDP-Laban’s candidates is a tremendous boost in what is going to be a very competitive senatorial race,” said Pimentel, who is also President of PDP-Laban and chair of the Senate Trade and Commerce Committee.
At the PDP-Laban kick-off and proclamation rally in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan last Thursday, the President said the reelectionist senator from Mindanao is “a worthy son of a great father,” referring to Sen. Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr., the former Senate President who was first elected to the Senate in 1987 and also served as Interior and Local Government Secretary and mayor of Cagayan De Oro City.
Duterte reminded the some 30,000 audience of the younger Pimentel’s sterling credentials, saying “Bar topnotcher ito e. Mahusay. Honest. Lahat nakuha niya.” (He is a Bar topnotcher. Excellent. Honest. He has everything).
According to the latest Pulse Asia Survey conducted from January 26 to 31, if the elections were held today, Pimentel would be re-elected.
Pimentel, a lawyer like his father, studied law at the University of the Philippines, where he graduated in 1990 and later topped the Bar Exams. The former Senate President also has a BS Mathematics degree from Ateneo de Manila University.
During his tenure as Senate President, Pimentel oversaw the passage of landmark legislation aimed at fulfilling the campaign promises of the President, such as free college education (RA 10931), free irrigation (RA 10969), lower personal income tax (RA 10963), the increase in the base pay of police and military personnel (Jt. Reso. 1, s. 2018), Anti-Red Tape (RA 11032), 10-year Passport Validity (RA 10928), and the 5-year Driver’s License Validity (RA 10930).
The following laws to benefit the children, the youth, and the sick were also passed during his term as Senate President: school feeding program (RA 11037), free internet access (RA 10929), the anti-hospital deposit bill (RA 10932), and the Mental Health Act (RA 11036).
Called “The Father of the modern NBI” by NBI Director Dante Gierran, Pimentel is also the author and sponsor of the NBI Modernization Act, the Bangsamoro Organic Law, and the latest estate tax amnesty measure. Other laws he has authored include: Abolition of the Road Board (SB 1620), Absentee Voting for Members of the Media (RA 10380), Election Voting Accessibility Law (RA 10366), Biometrics Law (RA 10367), Foster Care Act (RA 10165), Expanded Senior Citizens Act (RA 10645), Streamlining the Sandiganbayan (RA 10660), and Extending the prescriptive period for anti-graft and corrupt practices (RA 10910).
During his tenure as Senate President, Pimentel oversaw the passage of landmark legislation aimed at fulfilling the campaign promises of the President.
According to the latest Pulse Asia Survey conducted from January 26 to 31, if the elections were held today, Pimentel would be re-elected with 45.5 percent of voters casting their vote for him. He is one of five reelectionist senators currently within range of the top half of the winning circle.
Pimentel said that if given a fresh six-year term, he would continue to work to end ENDO, provide an environment for businesses to multiply in order to create more jobs, make food affordable, improve the justice system and strengthen the Rule of Law, abolish the travel tax, exempt balikbayan boxes from taxes, respect the right to a dignified living wage, improve geriatric medicine, promote the welfare of PWDs, protect and promote cooperatives, and create agencies in charge of OFWs, disaster preparedness, and water.
