By ELLEN T. TORDESILLAS, MARIA FEONA IMPERIAL, VERLIE RETULIN
WITH almost 65 per cent of the results of the voting for the 2016 Elections in, Sen. Grace Poe of Partido Galing at Puso conceded the election to Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte of PDP-Laban.
In a statement which Poe read in her past midnight press conference, she said:
“Mga minamahal kong kababayan, naging malupit ang tatlong buwan ng kampanya at higit pa doon, kung bibilangin niyo, ang umpisa kung kailan ako naghayag sa aking desisyon na tumakbo bilang pangulo.
Ipinagmamalaki kong sabihin na ako, ang aking pangkat, ang aking mga tagasuporta ay hindi nawalan kailanman ng pananalig.
Naniniwala kami sa mga adbokasiyang aking isinusulong para sa ating mga kababayan. Lumaban kami nang malinis at patas.
Matutulog ako ngayong gabi na may malinis na konsensya, na panatag sa kaalaman na ako, kasama ang aking pangkat at ang lahat ng minamahal kong tagasuporta, ginawa natin ang lahat. Ginawa natin ang lahat ng ating makakaya.
Ako si Grace Poe at naging kandidato para sa pagkapangulo ngayong 2016 ay nagbibigay-daan kay Rodrigo Duterte na siyang maliwanag na nangunguna sa kasalukuyang bilangan at siyang napili ng nakararami sa ating mga kababayan.
Bilang isang masidhing tagapagtaguyod ng repormang pang-eleksyon, matatag ang paniniwala ko sa boses at kalooban ng ating taumbayan. Iginagalang ko ang resulta ng ating halalan.
Binabati ko si Mayor Rodrigo Duterte at ipinapangako ko ang aking pakikiisa sa paghilom ng ating bayan at pakikiisa ng ating mga kababayan tungo sa patuloy na pag-unlad ng ating bansa.
Maraming salamat po.”
Before her presscon Poe said she called up Duterte and congratulated him. :”Hindi naging mahirap sa akin ang ating pagbibigay daan. Hindi ito pagsuko, ito ay pagbibigay daan at pagbibigay respeto.”
The topnotcher in the 2013 senatorial elections, Poe was an early favorite until she was slapped with disqualification cases in connection with her citizenship and residency.
Duterte overtook her last month and she never regained the lead.
Vice President Jejomar Binay of the United Nationalist Alliance issued the following statement:
“I have repeatedly called for respecting institutions and the democratic process. Once the process is completed, we should always respect the outcome.
“We should all move towards healing and unity for our divided land.”
There was no statement from Mar Roxas, Liberal Party standard bearer and Sen. Miriam Santiago of People’s Reform Party.
As of 12:30 a.m, with 69.69 percent of the votes canvassed by the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), the tally was Duterte- 13,388,448; Roxas-8,249,253; Poe-7,856,739; Binay-4,686,261; and Santiago -1,301,924.
Duterte will be the first president to come from Mindanao. He is also the first mayor to be catapulted to the presidency.
