PIMENTEL SLAMS "MISLEADING" ATTENDANCE REPORT

Senator Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, PDP-Laban President, today corrected news reports that he was one of the top 5 absentee senators in the 15th Congress.

The recently re-elected legislator called the reports false and misleading. "How can I be one of the top absentee senators when I only had one absence due to sickness during my actual tenure as senator?"

A recent news report tagged five senators as having attended the least number of sessions. Miriam Defensor-Santiago attended only 94 session days; Juan Miguel Zubiri, 98; Pimentel III, 102; Panfilo Lacson, 131; and Antonio Trillanes IV, 135 days.

"Had our friends in media bothered to do a bit of research, they would have realized that in the 113 session days since I assumed office on August 11, 2011 after I was declared as the legitimate winner of the 2007 elections, I attended 102 sessions, was on official mission in 10 session days, so I was only absent for a day. And that was because I got sick," Pimentel pointed out.

The lawmaker said the report should have been more careful in labeling him an absentee senator because he takes his job seriously.

"When I assumed my shortened term, I really worked hard and hit the ground running so I could catch up with the legislative mill then already processing bills on second and third reading," the lawmaker from Mindanao said.

"In my particular case, the reporters should not have simply subtracted the number of session days I attended from the total number of session days of the 15th Congress. They should have considered that I became a senator only in August 2011. Even if I had gone to the Senate in 2010 and the first half of 2011, I would not have been allowed anyway to attend the sessions, so why should I have been marked absent," Pimentel explained.

Pimentel also cited his achievements during his shortened term of one year and 5 months, saying that aside from serving in the impeachment court, he also managed to have four bills that he authored signed into law. "I want to make sure na sulit ang boto ng bawat Pilipino sa akin."

Pimentel also assured those who voted for him in the May elections that he would work doubly hard as he assumes a full term. "That is my promise, I will not shortchange the Filipino people. Hindi sila madadaya sa tiwalang ipinagkaloob nila sa akin."

Pimentel placed 8th with more than 14.7 million votes in the senatorial race.