His mood was calm as usual but when his supporters started crying and chanting his name as he conceded defeat, Liberal Party (LP) standard-bearer Mar Roxas could not help but turn emotional, too, shedding tears as he wished Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte success as the country’s duly-elected president.

“Based on the unofficial count of the Comelec (Commission on Elections), it is clear that Mayor Rodrigo Duterte will be the next president of the Republic of the Philippines,” said Roxas in a speech which he himself wrote.

“Digong, I wish you success. Your victory is a victory of our people and of our country,” he added.

Also conceding defeat, Senator Grace Poe and her running mate Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero also urged the public to rally behind Duterte and give him a chance to serve the country to prove he is worthy of the peoples’ mandate.

In a press conference held at the Nationalist Peoples Coalition (NPC) headquarters in Quezon City Monday night, Poe said the people should unite and allow the tough mayor a chance to work and institute the much-needed reforms in the country.

Poe said she also doubts Duterte would close down Congress as he had earlier threatened, and promised that as a senator, she would work with Duterte in “continuing our advocacies that would truly be felt by our countrymen.”

Emotional

Roxas began his speech by expressing gratitude to his supporters whom he said warmly welcomed him and his running mate Leni Robredo in their campaign sorties in the provinces.

He also thanked President Aquino and his family, the LP, various cause-oriented groups and volunteers for believing in him and his platform.

“To all of you who took up the cudgels, who shared in our aspirations, na nakasama kong tumayo, maraming maraming salamat sa inyoing lahat,” he said.

“I read somewhere that that it is not the battle or the conquest that we remember. But the soldier who stood beside us, na tumutoo sa atin, who we treasure the most,” he added.

“There are many tears in the room. Let me tell you this: this is not a time for tears. For our country, we have had a successful transfer of power,” said Roxas.

“It’s not about me. It’s not about anyone. It’s about how we love our country and how we’ll do all that we can for her. She’s the only one,” said Roxas.

While the battle is already over for the presidency, Roxas said the battle continues for the vice president.

“Ngayon, hindi pa tapos ang laban ni Leni. Angat siya, lumalaban siya,” said Roxas.

Robredo has overtaken Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. early yesterday morning, but the lead is too slim to be comfortable.

“Patuloy tayong magbantay, manalig at sumuporta. Siguraduhin nating mabibilang nang tama ang kanyang boto,” said Roxas.

Conceding with grace

“For me, he now has a new mandate. Let’s give him a chance,” Poe said.

“But of course, we will continue to fight for this system of democracy to prevail, so that our people’s voice would be heard through the Senate,” she said.

“The Senate is an independent body that we need to strengthen. And we as senators should serve as a watchdog of the government to ensure that all departments are working properly because the job of the Senate is to be an oversight body),” she said.

Escudero also echoed the call of Poe by saying: “We should respect and accept the decision of the people. What is important is for the country to be healed, to be united over one leader, whether we voted for him or not, whoever the leader would be.”

‘Daang Matuwid’

Malacañang has accepted Duterte’s landslide victory and expressed hope that the incoming leader will continue the “Daang Matuwid.”

President Aquino is also ready to cooperate with the incoming administration and even to extend a helping hand to his successor.

“The President already said he is ready to give his inputs if asked. He has been a public servant for many years. We are ready to cooperate and to work with the incoming administration. Our people have spoken and their verdict is accepted and respected,” Coloma said.

Coloma earlier said the Aquino administration is also prepared for the smooth transition of power to the next government. He said they will be leaving behind a government with a stable fiscal position, with complete and transparent records and documents, and a government that truly cares for the people.

He also denied rumors that Aquino and his allies might initiate an impeachment of Duterte to pave the way for the rise of Leni Robredo, currently the frontrunner in the vice presidential polls.

He said it was “irresponsible and reckless” to float such scenario especially since the vote count has not been completed.

“They have a wild imagination to think of such scenario,” he said in Filipino about the alleged ouster plot against Duterte.

Election tradition

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Andres Bautista is hoping that candidates conceding their defeat in the polls will become a tradition in the country’s future polls.

The poll chief believes the move will help bring down “political tension.”

“I would like to congratulate candidates who have already conceded,” said Bautista in a press briefing Tuesday.

“If the candidates believe that he or she no longer has the chance to win, I think the proper thing to do is to concede. I know several have already conceded and I hope that this will become a tradition that will be practiced in future elections,” he added.

Teachers

The Department of Education (DepEd) on Tuesday lauded public school teachers who performed their duties as members of Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs) during the national and local elections.

Based on the monitoring set up by DepEd through its Election Task Force (ETF), Education Secretary Armin Luistro announced that there were “no untoward incident” involving public school teachers who manned polling precincts as BEIs. “Ang magandang balita ay dito po sa ating command center, hindi po sila nakapag-ulat o nakapagtala ng any untoward incident especially with respect to our teachers,” he said.

“We’re grateful for your support and they have proven that they can be trusted,” Luistro said. He also commended teachers for being non-partisan during the heat of the election fever. “They did their duties as objectively as possible so we will have leaders that our people deserve,” he added. (With reports from Madel Sabater Namit and Merlina Hernando Malipot)

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by Aaron B. Recuenco, Hannah L. Torregoza, Genalyn D. Kabiling, And Leslie Ann G. Aquino

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