Philippine election: ‘Duterte’s magic routed opposition’
- Strong showing by the president’s allies in midterm elections paves the way for him to ‘transform political system’
- Proceedings are marred as vote counting machines across the country malfunction
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesman Salvador Panelo on Tuesday tried to play down fears that sweeping victories for Senate candidates allied to the strongman leader would lead to a rubber-stamp Congress.
“No Senate has ever been under any president. They always rise above partisan considerations when issues involve national interests, security, and the interests of the Filipino people,” said Panelo.
His statements came as the president’s ruling coalition was poised to dominate both chambers, especially the Senate. As of Tuesday night, only one opposition senator, Senator Paulo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, had a fighting chance of claiming one of the 12 Senate seats up for grabs.
Panelo credited the near rout to “the Duterte magic” and the Filipino yearning for “stability and continuity of the genuine reforms that the administration started. They yearn for a constructive – not obstructionist – Senate, which will help in crafting the president’s legislative agenda,” he said.
Critics of the Duterte administration, however, credited the performance to the millions of pesos that Duterte-backed candidates spent on advertising early last year.
Duterte loyalist Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa, who is assured of a Senate seat after gaining 18.3 million votes, said on ABS-CBN’s English news channel ANC: “I am supportive of [the presidential palace] but I will never be dictated [to by it]. My loyalty to the political party ends where my loyalty to the Filipino people begins.”