By Marjorie Gorospe
QUEZON CITY, METRO MANILA— The resignation of Senator Miguel Zubiri is now one of the top trending topics in social networking sites.
The lawmaker submitted his resignation during a privilege speech at the Senate on Wednesday.
Zubiri resigned due to allegations of electoral fraud by his rival, lawyer Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, who lost against Zubiri for the 12th slot in the 2007 senatorial elections.
The former Bukidnon congressman said the series of allegations have already hurt his family.
On Twitter, the #zubiri hash tag is currently the second top trending topic while “Migz Zubiri” is the top search topic on Yahoo! Philippines.
Filipinos online shared mixed reactions on Zubiri’s resignation. Musician Jim Paredes tweeted that he agrees with Zubiri’s resignation: “His win was cast in great doubt due to revelations. Resignation was right.”
Senator Francis Escudero posted on his Facebook status that he admires Zubiri’s courage in making a difficult decision: “It must be a tough time for him and his family and I wish them well as they go through it”.
Blogger Noemi Dado tweeted: “I wished GMA (Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) resigned when the cloud of doubt loomed. Must have been hard for @sen_migzzubirito do this.”
Maine Galvez tweeted that there’s a lesson to be learned from Zubiri’s resignation: “It’s ok to cheat as long as you work hard, you’ll still be a hero. Filipinos are so forgiving.”
User “joycesufi” tweeted about Zubiri being one of the more hardworking: “I would have been pleased if it were somebody else who resigned.”
Malacañang has released a statement saying it respects the decision of Zubiri.
“We call on Mr. Zubiri to further demonstrate his willingness to help restore the dignity of our electoral process. Any contribution he makes can be vital in restoring the people's mandate and in giving the Filipinos the meaningful electoral reforms they rightfully deserve,”
