MANILA, Philippines, May 22 (NNN-PNA) – Filipinos elected political allies of President Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippine Senate, shutting out opposition candidates critical of the Duterte administration.
According to official results released today (Wednesday) by the Commission on Elections (Comelec), nine of the 12 winning senatorial candidates were Duterte’s staunch supporters.
The 12 newly-elected senators will serve until 2025. They will complete the 24-member Senate, according to Comelec.
Bong Go, Duterte’s loyal long-time aide, with no political experience, won over 20 million votes, landing in No 3. No 4 is Duterte’s former national police chief, Ronald Dela Rosa, who garnered more than 19 million votes. It was their first time to seek an electoral post.
Re-electionist Cynthia Villar, also a staunch supporter of Duterte, topped the senate race with more than 25 million votes. His son serves as Duterte’s public works and highways secretary.
The nine candidates, endorsed by Duterte and his daughter, Sara, who was re-elected again as Davao City mayor, won by a landslide in Mindanao, where Duterte hails.
Many of Duterte’s allies also won in the House of Representatives, including his eldest son Paolo, giving the 74-year-old leader control of Congress.
“The overwhelming majority of the electorate has responded to the call of the president to support those whom he said would help pass laws supportive of his goal to uplift the masses of our people and give them comfortable lives,” presidential spokesman, Salvador Panelo, said.
Indeed, the results of the May 13 mid-term elections augur well for the Duterte administration, especially in pushing for the key policy reforms needed to sustain the economic growth and attract foreign investments.– NNN-PNA
