‘Filipinos have spoken’: Marcos camp declares victory in presidential race

Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. campaigns in Mandaluyong (Photo from his Facebook account)official facebook account

MANILA, Philippines — The camp of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. declared victory Wednesday in the presidential elections, saying the Filipino people have “spoken decisively.”

Atty. Vic Rodriguez, Marcos Jr.’s spokesperson, made the remark as the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) partial and unofficial count reached over 98 percent.

“With 98 percent of the votes counted, and an unassailable lead of over 16 million votes, the Filipino people have spoken decisively,” Rodriguez said in a statement.

“Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. will be the 17th President of the Philippines. In historic numbers, the people have used their democratic vote to unite our nation,” he added.

As of 2:17 p.m., May 11, Comelec’s partial and unofficial count show Marcos Jr. garnering over 31 million votes. In distant second is Vice President Leni Robredo who got over 14.8 million votes followed by Senator Manny Pacquiao who got more than 3.6 million votes.

The count covers 98.26 percent of the election returns in the country.

“This is a victory for all Filipinos, and for democracy. To those who voted for Bongbong, and those who did not, it is his promise to be a President for all Filipinos. To seek common ground across political divides, and to work together to unite the nation,” Rodriguez said.

“Bongbong looks forward to working across the Philippines, and with international partners and organisations, to address critical issues facing the country, and to begin delivering for the Filipino people,” he added.

Further, Rodriguez said: “To the world, he says: Judge me not by my ancestors, but by my actions.”

/MUF