By Edwin Fernandez
COTABATO CITY – Senatorial aspirant Emmanuel Piñol conceded defeat in his Senate bid Monday but vowed to continue his advocacy on agriculture as a private individual.
In a statement released Tuesday, Piñol, the former secretary of Agriculture and chair of Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) said the people have spoken on Monday’s elections and that he accepts it “wholeheartedly.”
“New leaders were voted to lead this country in the coming three years,” he said in Filipino. “I offered my services but was not given the chance and that is one thing I have to accept with an open heart,” he added.
He went on to appreciate the works of his supporters, and those who supported him in his advocacy to help improve the agriculture and fishery sector of the Philippines.
“I cannot embrace all of you and tell you how much I appreciate your sacrifices,” he said.
He said he may have not succeeded in this election but his advocacy to push forward the voices of farmers and fisherfolk will continue.
“I will continue our Green Philippines program and Food Self-Sufficiency Advocacy,” he said.
Piñol added: “Our giant bamboo program will continue, so it will reach other parts of the country.”
Back to his farm in Kidapawan after a 90-day campaign using his own resources with the help of friends, Piñol said he was proud he did not utter a single word that harmed anyone’s credibility.
Based on partial and unofficial results from Comelec aggregated data as of 10 a.m. May 10, Piñol obtained 3,409,355 votes in 104,071 of 107,785 clustered precincts that were transmitted to the server. – gb
