Rodrigo Duterte wins Philippine presidency after rivals concede

Rodrigo Duterte is the next Phillipine president

(Image credit: Noel Celis/AFP/Getty Images)

last updated 10 May 2016

On Tuesday, Rodrigo "Digong" Duterte, a tough-on-crime mayor nicknamed "The Punisher," effectively won Monday's presidential election in the Philippines after unofficial results showed him with a massive lead and his two main rivals, former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and Sen. Grace Poe, conceded defeat. "It's with humility, extreme humility, that I accept this, the mandate of the people," Duterte told AFP. Duterte's inflammatory remarks, crude sexual jokes, big promises, and scant policy proposals have earned him a comparison to Donald Trump, and term-limited outgoing President Benigno Aquino III had warned that Duterte could endanger the Philippines' hard-won democracy and economic gains.

"Digong, I wish you success," Roxas said at a news conference on Tuesday. "Your victory is the victory of our people and our country." Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, a harsh critic of Duterte, was a little less welcoming, telling The Associated Press he would take a wait-and-see approach. "I will not be the party pooper at this time of a festive mood," he said. "I will step back, listen to his policy pronouncements. This time we don't expect a stand-up comedy act but a president who will address the nation."

While Duterte has won the presidency by an unassailable margin, said BBC News Manila correspondent Jonathan Head, it's less clear "what he will do with the job. His blunt promise to sweep away criminals and corrupt officials won him the backing of millions of Filipinos weary of ineffective governments. But he has so far offered few policy details," and human rights groups are concerned that "he may repeat what happened in the southern city of Davao, where as mayor he is accused of allowing death squads to murder hundreds of alleged criminals." If you want an irreverent look at the next Philippine president, you can watch John Oliver's report. Or you can watch Reuters' more neutral dispatch below for more information. Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.