In this file photo, Rodrigo Duterte (on the left) takes the oath as president of the Philippines before the associate judge of the Supreme Court Philippine, the welcome judge Reyes during the inauguration ceremony in the Malacanang Palace, on June 30, 2016 in Manila. Holding the Bible is Duterte’s daughter, Veronica, while her other children look.
The Office of News and Information / Palace of Malacanang via AP
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The Office of News and Information / Palace of Malacanang via AP
Manila, Philippines – Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was elected mayor in his hometown by a landslide, the official results showed Tuesday, despite his detention by the International Criminal Court.
The Davao electoral council proclaimed that Duterte won the race for the mayor of Davao, the official count showing that he had collected more than 660,000 votes, eight times more than his nearest rival. The delighted supporters chanted “Duterte, Duterte” when the result was announced.
His youngest son, Sebastian, the outgoing mayor of Davao, was declared Vice-Mayor of Davao. His eldest son, Paolo, was re-elected as a member of the House of Representatives, and two grandsons won in local races, an indication of the continuous influence of the family.
“Duterte Lands Sliding in Davao!” Her youngest daughter Veronica published on Facebook.
Partial unofficial results have shown that at least five candidates supported by the Duterte family were also among those who led the race for 12 Senate posts, in a stronger demonstration than expected in the mid-term elections on Monday. Pre-electoral surveys had indicated that only two of them would emerge victorious.
The results are a boost for the daughter of Duterte, vice-president Sara Duterte, before a trial of indictment in the Senate in July for a series of accusations, in particular an alleged abusive use of public funds and conspiracies to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife and the lecturer of the chamber.
Sara Duterte is considered a strong competitor for the 2028 presidential race. But if she is found guilty by the Senate, she will lose her job and will be disqualified from the public obligation forever. To be acquitted, she needs at least nine of the 24 senators to vote in her favor.
The results of the Senate race will be known in a week. Apart from the five candidates supported by Duterte, the other people leading in the top 12 included five others approved by Marcos and two opposition candidates.
While the result of the Senate race was encouraging for Sara Duterte, the jury is still on the way in which the accusation will go to her, said Jean Franco, professor of political science at the University of the Philippines. If overwhelming evidence was raised against her, Franco said it could affect his chances of an acquittal.
The race for the Senate also showed that support for Marcos, whose approval rating fell in April, decreases and could make surprises in the 2028 elections, added Franco.
In a statement, Marcos thanked the Philippins who voted, saying that “our democracy was renewed – peacefully, ordered and dignity”.
“We may not have won all the seats, but our work and our mission continue,” he added.
The dismissal and the arrest and the transfer of Rodrigo Duterte to the court in The Hague came after the ties of Marcos and Sara Duterte took place on the political differences and their competing ambitions. Duterte supporters criticized the government of Marcos for arrested and abandoned the former chief to a court whose jurisdiction disputes by his supporters.
Nicknamed “The Punisher” and “Dirty Harry”, Duterte was mayor of Davao for two decades before becoming president. He is in the custody of the International Criminal Court in Hague, in the Netherlands, since March, awaiting trials for crimes against humanity for a brutal war against illegal drugs which made thousands of suspects who died during his presidency 2016-2022.
Under the Philippine law, candidates facing criminal charges, including those in detention, may arise in the elections unless they have been sentenced and have exhausted all calls.
Sara Duterte had told journalists after voting on Monday that she was in talks with her father’s lawyers on the way he could oath as mayor despite being behind bars. She said that the vice-mayor would probably be the acting mayor.
