Maria Leonor Robredo (L) and Rodrigo Duterte (Source: media.philstar.com)
Hanoi (VNA) – On May 30, the Philippine parliament proclaimed Rodrigo Duterte the next president following his landslide win at the national election held on May 9.
The proclamation was released at a joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate in Manila, which approved the official ballot count. Duterte won by more than six million votes compared to his closest rival Manuel Mar Roxas, a former senator and ex-cabinet minister.
At the congressional session, Leni Robredo was also declared the winner of the vice president election, surpassing Ferdinand Marcos.
At the two separate elections, 71-year-old Duterte had 16.6 million votes winning nearly 39 percent of the ballot, while 51-year-old Robredo won 35 percent of the total votes with more than 14.4 million supporters.
On June 30, they will take office succeeding President Benigno Aquino and Vice President Jejomar Binay. Their terms will last for six years.-VNA
