Image from dutertecayetano.com - Davao City mayor downplayed runaway lead in presidential elections
- He said he won’t sit as president if elections marred by cheating
- He also called on the AFP and the PNP to intervene to ensure clean elections
MANILA, Philippines – Despite him leading the way in the Commission on Elections (Comelec)’s partial vote-counting, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said he won’t take his seat as president if the elections are found to be marred with cheating if only to preserve his integrity.
“I will never sit as president by cheating. It will never happen,” he told GMA News. “What is important the votes are there and counted correctly. ‘Yan lang po [That’s just it], just simply the truth.”
Duterte added he would it leave it to the Comelec to ensure the elections remain untainted. At the same time, he also called on the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to be ready to intervene anytime if the poll body is unable to live up to its responsibility.
“Kung may dayaan [If there is cheating] we leave it to Comelec. Kung hindi kaya ng Comelec [If Comelec cannot handle it], which is really the mandate given to that constitutional body, then I would like to call upon the Armed Forces and the PNP to guarantee to us that the Constitution is followed,” he said.
Duterte, who is poised to become the 16th president of the Philippines, leads the presidential race with over 11 million votes as per the Philippine Star’s unofficial tally as of 8:40 PM. He is followed by Sen. Grace Poe at a far second with 6.3 million votes, Mar Roxas with 6.1 million, Vice President Jejomar Binay with 3.7 million, and Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago with 1.1 million.
More than 60 percent of the votes have been tallied so far.
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