MANILA - A PHILIPPINE opposition senator has resigned, saying he wants to spare his family from further pain due to allegations of vote fraud in the 2007 election.
Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri announced his resignation on Wednesday in a speech in the Senate. He maintains the accusations are unfounded.
Senator Zubiri won the twelfth and last senate seat in the 2007 election by more than 18,000 votes over his closest rival, lawyer Aquilino Pimentel III.
Mr Pimentel has protested Senator Zubiri's election victory and says he is disappointed that the senator labeled his charges baseless. He says his case is backed by evidence and several poll officials have attested to fake ballots being used in the polls.
The Senate Electoral Tribunal is investigating the protest filed by Mr Pimentel. -- AP
