Yesterday, the latest vote counting results from the Philippine presidential election showed that Rodrigo Duterte, the mayor of Davao City, has secured a leading advantage that has led to his victory in the presidential election. This means that the Philippines will welcome a Chinese-Filipino president. Whether this will bring more convenience for Philippine immigration remains to be seen.
As of the morning of the 10th, 90% of the ballots have been counted, with Duterte receiving approximately 39% of the votes, while the second-place candidate, former Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas, received 23%. Due to the relative majority voting system, Roxas has no hope of surpassing Duterte's votes.
Senator Grace Poe ranked third with 21.7% of the votes. She conceded defeat in the early hours of the 10th, stating that she respects the election results and congratulated Duterte.
Even before the voting began, Duterte had surged in the campaign, with his support skyrocketing. Although the current Philippine President Benigno Aquino III had allied with other candidates to oppose Duterte, warning voters that he would bring the Philippines back to the era of dictatorship, he was unable to topple Duterte.
Duterte stated that the main reason voters supported him is his determination to strongly combat corruption and crime.
Duterte, 71 years old, is a lawyer and has served as mayor of Davao, the largest city in Mindanao, for 25 years. The area was once plagued by gangs and extreme armed groups, but under Duterte's strong governance, public safety has significantly improved, making it a city known for its security in the Philippines.
Duterte's campaign platform emphasizes law and order, promising to eradicate the rampant corruption and crime in the Philippines within six months of being elected president.