Koko Pimentel brings war on fraud to global audience, OFWs

Senatorial candidate Aquilino Pimentel III

DIGOS CITY, Philippines—Reelectionist Senator Koko Pimentel on Saturday said he would be expanding his antifraud campaign so that overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will also be protected.

Pimentel was found to have suffered from vote-shaving and vote-padding schemes in the 2007 general elections.

Reacting to the endorsement of his candidacy by the US-based US Pinoys for Good Governance (USP4GG), headed by philanthropist Loida Nicolas Lewis, and Global Filipino Diaspora Council (GFDC), a Filipino group with membership in several countries, Pimentel said it showed that Filipinos are supportive of his antifraud platform.

“Their leaders and members are some of the most credible and influential opinion makers on a wide range of international issues,” Pimentel said in a statement.

He said the endorsement served as an affirmation of support for his campaign, inspiring him to take the campaign worldwide.

This, he said, will be a fitting repayment for “their trust and confidence.”

Pimentel said going global in his antifraud campaign would ensure “that no Filipino ever falls victim to fraud and abuse, wherever he or she is in the world.” Kaiza Marie Nawal, Inquirer Mindanao