Lawyer Gwendolyn “Gwen” Pimentel,daughter of Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. will run for senator under the Nacionalista Party (NP) to address the problem of lack of Mindanao representation in the 24-man Senate.

Explaining why her daughter will enter the senatorial race, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Q. Pimentel Jr., said he understands that need for Mindanao representation in the Upper Chamber was the primary consideration in the decision of Sen. Manuel Villar, NP president and standard bearer in the 2010 elections, to draft Gwen Pimentel (from Northern Mindanao), along with Atty. Adel Tamano (from Central Mindanao), in the 12-man Nacionalista senatorial lineup.

“Being a Muslim, Atty. Tamano will represent not only Mindanao but more specifically Muslim Mindanao. So we need somebody from Mindanao who is a non-Muslim to balance the representation from Mindanao,” Pimentel said.

Gwen, as Gwendolyn is fondly called by family members and friends, has served as  hief-of-staff in the Office of Sen. Pimentel. She is a holder of a law degree and master in public administration from the University of the Philippines. “If you are talking of capability to discharge the  esponsibilities of a senator, I think she is very much qualified for the job, especially since she has worked in the Senate for a long time,” the veteran parliamentarian said.

Pimentel, whose term as senator will expire on June 30, 2010, said Gwen intends to pursue a number of advocacies if she gets elected to the Senate such as environmental protection, child and youth welfare, the Mindanao peace process, human rights and electoral reforms.