MALACAÑANG expressed optimism on Wednesday, October 17, that the Duterte administration will have good working relationship with election hopefuls who will emerge triumphant in the 2019 midterm polls.

"Given the high level of appreciation exhibited by the people in favor of this administration, we look forward to newly elected officials in Congress coordinating with us towards the advancement of vital pieces of legislation that ensure the promotion of the people’s welfare," Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement.

"We are similarly eager to work with our 2019 chosen leaders at the local level for convergences and operations for peace and order, social welfare and disaster risk management, among others," he added.

Panelo's statement came after the Commission on Elections concluded the five-day filing of candidacies for the national and local post.

The mid-term elections will be held on May 13, 2019.

The Comelec is expected to release in December the official list of candidates in next year's polls.

Panelo said the executive viewed the 2019 midterm elections "as a vital part of the country’s democratic way of life."

"While it is inevitable for some to treat it as a referendum of the administration of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, we accept it as an independent venue which highlights the constitutional declaration that, “[s]overeignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them,'" he said.

But while the midterm polls is deemed as the halfway point of the Duterte administration's term, Panelo admitted that "there is still work to be done."

Panelo was hopeful that the results of the 2019 polls would help the current administration in fulfilling its goal of achieving "genuine and meaningful change" in the country.

"With the Filipino people continuing to trust the President, we implore leaders emerging triumphant from the upcoming democratic process to work with the present administration hand in hand for the benefit all," he said.

"This way, we do not only become more effective public servants, but more importantly, we become the bastion of the democratic voice of our people," he added. (SunStar Philippines)