Congress in a joint session on Monday officially proclaimed Rodrigo Duterte and Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo as the new President and Vice President of the Philippines, respectively.
The Senate and the House of Representatives, which sat as the National Board of Canvassers, convened on Monday afternoon to approve the canvassing committee report.
Duterte and Robredo’s proclamation came only three days after the Congress finished the actual canvassing of votes for President and Vice President, which took place for only four days.
Duterte won the presidency in the Congress’ official count with 16,601,997 votes, or more than six million votes ahead of second placer Liberal Party candidate Manuel “Mar” Roxas II.
Robredo, meanwhile, beat her closest rival Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. by 263,473 votes in a hotly contested vice presidential race. Alleging poll fraud, the son and namesake of the late dictator was mulling to file an electoral protest.
Robredo, who came from a Mass at St. Peter Parish in Quezon City, attended her proclamation, while Duterte, who is in Davao City, did not show up as expected. His lawyers attended the proclamation on his behalf.
Duterte earlier said he never attended any proclamation in his life.
The proclamation was done only three weeks after the May 9 national polls, one of the fastest in Philippine post-Edsa history.
Outgoing President Benigno Aquino III and Vice President Jejomar Binay were proclaimed winners on June 9, 2010 or almost a month after the elections.
Duterte and Robredo will take their oath on June 30, the day Aquino and Binay’s terms would expire.
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