Cayetano concedes, says Leni Robredo ‘clearly won’ VP race

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano (left) conceded defeat in the vice presidential race to Rep. Leni Robredo on Thursday morning. Cayetano said Robredo ‘clearly won’ the post. INQUIRER FILES

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano on Thursday conceded to his rival Camarines Sur Rep. Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo, saying she “clearly won” the vice presidential race.

“I humbly concede my vice presidential bid to Rep. Leni Robredo, who, by all accounts and with 96% of the votes already tallied, is our country’s presumptive Vice President-elect. Rep. Leni is not only leading the race, she has clearly won it,” Cayetano said in a statement.

While  admitting that “losing election hurts,” Cayetano urged Filipinos to unite and respect the people’s will.

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“While losing an election hurts, nothing is more painful than the sight of a divided country,” he said.

“Thus, I call on all the other candidates to respect the people’s will and rally behind presumptive President-elect Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte and his presumptive Vice President-elect Leni Robredo,” he added.

Cayetano then echoed the call of Duterte to begin the healing of the nation.

“Let us begin the journey toward healing and unification,” he said.

He said he was confident that Robredo would give her full support to Duterte.

“I am confident that Vice President-elect Leni will likewise respect and value the people’s will by giving her full support to the country’s new President and his vision to end the disorder in the people’s lives and introduce real change to our country,” he said.

“I call on the people to rally behind our newly elected leaders. It is in this crucial hour that our voice is needed the most. Let us work together and let the process of real change begin,” he added./rga