At last… Binay concedes, congratulates Duterte

Presidential candidates Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Jejomar Binay.
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/LYN RILLON

Vice President Jejomar Binay on Thursday conceded defeat and extended his congratulations to presumptive president Rodrigo Duterte.

In a statement late Thursday, Binay’s communications director Joey Salgado said Binay has talked with Duterte to congratulate him for winning in the 2016 elections.

“We confirm that Vice President Binay has talked to President-elect Duterte. He extended his congratulations and wished the president-elect all the best,” Salgado said.

Meanwhile,  Christopher “Bong” Go, Duterte’s executive assistant, confirmed late Thursday night that Binay has called to congratulate the presumptive president.

On Wednesday, Binay was interviewed in Cebu where he attended the wake of a mayor who died of a stroke, and told media he would rather not use the word “concede.”

In the Inquirer Visayas report, Binay said he wanted to wait for the final results of the elections before conceding defeat, citing the glitches that put to question the integrity of the polls.

“There are VCMs (vote counting machines) that came out with different results. There were VCMs that bogged down. There were results that were just unbelievable,” Binay said.

He said he also could not believe he lost heavily in Cebu, the country’s most vote-rich province.

READ: Binay can’t believe he’s losing

“I only got 69,000 votes but I was always with a lot of people. I shook the hands of at least 100,000 people,” he said.

Asked if he would file an electoral protest, Binay said in the report: “Everything is possible in this world.”

READ: Binay refuses to concede, seeks support from fraternity brods

Binay had refused to concede on Monday night, even though he was losing heavily in the presidential race, surpassed even by his rivals Sen. Grace Poe and Mar Roxas.

His daughter Abby who was recently proclaimed winner of the Makati mayoral race  said it is not in the nature of her father to concede from a fight.

READ: VP Binay won’t concede just yet, says daughter Abby

According to the unofficial count by the Commission on Elections transparency server as of 9:45 p.m. on May 12, Binay placed fourth with 5,313,602 votes or 12.87 percent of the total votes counted, behind Poe who got 8,929,899 votes or 21.63 percent, Roxas who got 9,681,829 or 23.45 percent, and  Duterte who garnered 15,915,687 votes or 38.55 percent.

The unofficial count was based on transmitted votes from 95.87 percent of the total 92,509 clustered precincts.

Binay lost the elections even though he has expressed confidence he would win the elections, at one point saying he already had a victory speech prepared.

Roxas and Poe earlier conceded defeat to  Duterte. Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, who placed last place in the partial count, has yet to concede. With a report from Nestor Corrales/TVJ

READ: Binay says he has ‘victory speech’ ready