Filipinos Eagerly Watch the 12th Spot
Filipinos are closely watching as the race for the 12th spot in the senatorial elections remains fiercely contested. As of 5:21 p.m. Wednesday, incumbent Senator Imee Marcos holds the 12th position with 13,038,627 votes. She leads the 13th placer, Ben Tulfo, by more than a million votes, as he has 11,886,979 votes.
Meanwhile, Senator Bong Revilla has already conceded after ranking 14th in the race.
Historical Importance of the 12th Spot
The last Senate slot has often been decisive and contentious in previous elections. In 2007, Juan Miguel Zubiri was initially proclaimed the winner of the 12th spot with a narrow margin of over 19,000 votes ahead of Koko Pimentel. However, Pimentel filed an electoral protest, alleging fraud and requesting a recount.
This protest dragged on for four years until Zubiri resigned in 2012 amid the controversy, though he denied any involvement in fraud.
“After the statements nga ni Mr. Bedol and Mr. Ampatuan, kasi sila po ay mga key personalities dito sa ARMM, lalo na sa Maguindanao. So paglabas po ng kanilang paratang, kumuha pa sila sa ibang senador para ilagay sa akin. Nakakahiya na itong tatlong senador pa ay kasama ko pa dito sa Senado, kailangan po magpakita tayo ng delicadeza,” Zubiri said in an interview.
(After the statements made by Mr. Bedol and Mr. Ampatuan, who are key personalities in ARMM, especially in Maguindanao, I couldn’t believe that they got [votes] from other senators to pad mine. It’s so embarrassing because three of them are my colleagues here in the Senate. So I’m doing this out of courtesy.)
Eventually, the electoral tribunal declared Pimentel the duly elected senator for the 2007 elections, and he served the remainder of Zubiri’s term.
“Matagal naman akong kumbinsido na sa fraud. It took him long to be convinced pero at least dumating tayo sa punto na na-convince din siya na may fraud,” Pimentel said.
(I’ve always been convinced that there was a fraud. It took him long to be convinced but at least he finally realized that there was really a fraud.)
Other Notable Electoral Contests for the 12th Spot
In the same 2007 elections, 13 Senate seats were contested because the 13th senator would complete the remaining term of a senator who had assumed the vice presidency. Gringo Honasan claimed he should have taken the 12th spot instead of Ralph Recto, who was proclaimed 12th. Honasan filed a petition before the Supreme Court, but it was dismissed. Juan Ponce Enrile, who ranked 14th, also filed an election protest but later withdrew it.
Back in 2004, Rodolfo Biazon won the 12th Senate seat by a slim margin against Robert Barbers, who ranked 13th. Barbers challenged the results with a petition, while 15th placer John Osmena also filed a separate protest. The Supreme Court dismissed Barbers’ petition, and Osmena withdrew his case before the Senate Electoral Tribunal.
Election Protests in Recent Years
More recently, in the 2016 elections, Francis Tolentino protested Leila De Lima’s victory for the 12th spot, where she received over a million more votes than him. Tolentino sought to cancel the proclamation of several winners, citing alleged data manipulation. De Lima’s camp urged him to accept the results. Tolentino later withdrew his protest in 2019 to focus on future elections.
Significance of the 12th Spot in Senate Race
The 12th spot remains a symbol of intense competition and sometimes legal battles in Philippine senatorial races. As Filipinos await the final outcome this election, the historical context highlights how pivotal this position can be.
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