Outgoing Senator Koko Pimentel expressed hope that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will succeed in the final three years of his administration, saying the President’s success is the country’s success, especially in the face of mounting global instability.
“We will rise together or we will fall together,” Pimentel said during the Kapihan sa Senado recently.
“Iisang bangka lang tayo, iisang sasakyan, iisang eroplano lang tayo,” the veteran legislator added.
“Kaya ang panalangin ko ay mag-succeed ang last three years ng Marcos administration,” the seasoned lawmaker stressed.
“The final three years of this administration will define what kind of country we want to become.”
“The final three years of this administration will define what kind of country we want to become,” the senator said in a separate statement. “We cannot afford to be divided. We need to succeed together.”
He also urged Filipinos to unite as a nation and contribute in nation-building: “Kahit private citizen ka, makakatulong ka pa rin sa pag-asenso ng bansa.”
“Kahit private citizen ka, makakatulong ka pa rin sa pag-asenso ng bansa.”
Pimentel, who is now completing his term in the Senate, is also awaiting the final decision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on a petition it earlier ruled in favor of disqualifying Marikina Mayor Marcy Teodoro as a congressional candidate for District 1 due to material misrepresentation in his voter registration. Once sustained, he may be allowed to serve in the 20th Congress as the duly recognized representative of District 1.
Pimentel, who topped the bar exams in 1990 and once led the Senate, played a key role in several landmark laws during his time as Senate President from 2016 to 2018.
Under his leadership, the Senate passed the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, which made tuition free in all state universities and colleges, and the Philippine Identification System Act, which established a national ID for all Filipinos.
He also oversaw the passage of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law, which lowered personal income taxes and restructured the country’s tax system, along with legislation extending the validity of passports and driver’s licenses and expanding free Wi-Fi in public places.
“These were reforms meant to make government more efficient and services more accessible to ordinary citizens,” Pimentel concluded.
