Marcos Jr., Duterte-Carpio proclaimed as newly elected president, VP

THE tandem of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio were declared on Wednesday, May 25, 2022, as winners in the recently concluded presidential and vice presidential elections, respectively.

Marcos gained a total of 31,629,783 votes or 58.77 percent of the total votes, while Duterte had 32,208,417 votes or 61.53 percent, based on the final tally of the joint Congress committee that served as the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC) for the two top government posts.

“I hereby proclaim Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as the duly elected President of the Philippines and Sara Zimmerman Duterte-Carpio as the duly elected vice president of the Philippines,” Senate President Vicente Sotto III and House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco said in a joint session of Congress.

Marcos beat Vice President Leni Robredo, who won against him during the 2016 national elections.

Robredo only had 15,035,773 votes or 27.94 percent of the total votes tallied.

Marcos Jr., the son and namesake of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., served as the vice-governor of Ilocos Norte from 1980 until March 23, 1983 and governor of their home province from 1998 until 2007.

He was elected as Ilocos Norte second district representative in 2007 and served there until June 2010.

From 2010 until 2016, Marcos served as a senator.

Duterte-Carpio, on the other hand, was the vice mayor of Davao City in 2007 before she succeeded her father, President Rodrigo Duterte, as the city’s mayor in 2010.

'Humbled'

Interviewed after the proclamation Wednesday, Marcos Jr. said he is humbled by the result of the May 9 elections.

"I am humbled because for anyone in public service or in a public life, the most valuable thing you may receive from a fellow citizen is their vote. Because embedded in that vote are their hopes and their aspirations for the future. But also embedded in that vote are the trust and the confidence that they give to you to take them to that aspirational future," he said.

"To have received over 31 million votes from our countrymen is as valuable expression of trust as can be had by anyone in public life. And so for that I thank our people. Beyond that, I promise you that we may not be perfect but we will always strive to perfection. Thank you very much," he added.

Marcos also thanked the Comelec, teachers who served during the elections and National Board of Canvassers, among others, "for what I can say is, in my experience, the best-run elections that we have seen and that has reflected truly the voice of the people and the choice of the people. I am inspired by this responsibility that has been given me."

He asked the public to pray for him, stressing "I want to do well because when a president does well, the country does well. And I want to do well for this country."

Senator Imee Marcos, the new President-elect’s sister, said they are very happy, especially their mother, former first lady Imelda Marcos, that they were given a second chance for the “restoration of faith and confidence with my family.”

“We are most grateful for this overwhelming majority vote. It’s extraordinary and some people say that it’s a second chance and it’s really remarkable. The return to Malacañang, galing na kami doon, hindi na mahalaga masyado ang pagbabalik sa palasyo,” she said in a television interview.

“What’s important to us of course, our name, the family name that has become so controversial and so difficult at time to bear, the legacy of my father is what we hope will be clarified at last,” she added.

The late dictator Marcos Sr. ruled the country since he was elected as the 10th President in 1965 until he was ousted through a People Power revolution in 1986.

His administration was criticized due to alleged many human rights violations during the Martial Law era from September 23, 1972 until January 17, 1981.

When he announced his candidacy for the country’s top government post in November 2021, Marcos Jr. vowed to impose a unifying leadership as he steer the country into recovery from the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

Petitions

Marcos’ candidacy faced several petitions calling for his disqualification from the race.

All the petitions, which primarily cited Marcos’ conviction before a Quezon City court over multiple failure to file his income tax return from 1982 to 1985, which supposedly makes him perpetually disqualified from holding public offices, were dismissed by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

This has prompted petitioners to bring their appeal before the Supreme Court.

The petitioners filed a petition for certiorari before the Supreme Court, seeking a temporary restraining order for the Senate of the Philippines and the House of Representatives to stop canvassing the votes cast to Marcos during the just concluded 2022 national and local elections and to not proclaim him as the winner.

Hours before the joint Congress even finished the canvassing of votes, anti-Marcos protesters gathered along the Commonwealth Avenue, one of the major roads that lead to the House of Representatives where the proclamation was held.

The protesters were blocked by policemen who even used water cannons by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to disperse them.

Not less than 10 people were injured in the incident, which is now being subject of investigation by the Commission on Human Rights.

The Quezon City Police District is yet to make comment on the matter.

The Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection and the Quezon City Government deployed their security personnel in the surrounding of the Batasang Pambansa for the conduct of security operations.

Cabinet members

Marcos Jr. earlier announced the appointment of Duterte-Carpio as education secretary under his administration.

He also named lawyer Vic Rodriguez as his executive secretary, Cavite 7th District Representative and House Deputy Majority Leader Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla as the justice secretary, Philippine Competition Commission chief Arsenio Balisacan as the National Economic and Development Authoritychief, Bienvenido Laguesma as secretary of the Department of Labor and Employment, Susan “Toots” Ople as the secretary of the newly created Department of Migrant Workers and Lawyer, and vlogger Trixie Cruz-Angeles as press secretary. (SunStar Philippines)