Koko invites Migz to lunch, via Twitter

Could the long bitter rivalry finally be over?

Reelected Sen. Aquilino Martin Pimentel III on Sunday tweeted an invitation to defeated senatorial bet Juan Miguel Zubiri to lunch.

"Koko to Migz: How about lunch?" read Pimentel's tweet at 12:30 p.m.

The tweet had no further details, except for a link to a Pinterest image showing Pimentel and Zubiri.

There was no respone from Zubiri yet as of posting time.

Pimentel had claimed to be the victim of poll fraud in the 2007 senatorial elections, even as Zubiri was alleged to have benefited from the supposed poll irregularities.

Zubiri denied having a hand in the cheating, but resigned from the Senate in 2011 amid supposed new evidence that he benefited from the cheating.

While Pimentel ran under the administration-backed Team PNoy coalition in the May 13 senatorial elections, Zubiri ran under the United Nationalist Alliance.

Meanwhile, Zubiri posted a statement on his website and social networking accounts thanking his supporters.

"I embarked on a journey fifteen years ago to be an effective legislator and a true public servant. I have gone through difficult times, have met the most wonderful people and have memories, as well as moments of pride and joy that I will keep in my heart for the rest of my life," he said.

He said he has "no regrets and worked as hard as I could to make a difference in the lives of our people."

"It was an honor for me to serve our nation," he added.

Zubiri said it is now time for him to move on, adding he will "return to private life as a civilian" with great pride, "knowing what I have done, and that I have given everything I can to help our beloved country."

"I will continue to support and do my part to help heal the divisions of this nation and continue to work and pray for the success of our leaders," he added. — LBG, GMA News