Manila: Senatorial candidates endorsed by President Rodrigo Duterte dominated the vote count in the mid-term polls with the first batch of the 12 winners poised to be declared soon by the elections body.
With more than 90 per cent of the votes cast reviewed by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for the May 13 general vote, majority of the senators endorsed by Duterte, made it into the winners circle.
Candidates endorsed by Duterte who made it into the top 12 include Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Bong Go, and Francis Tolentino; sitting senators Cynthia Villar, Sonny Angara, and Koko Pimentel; former senators Pia Cayetano, Lito Lapid, Ramon “Bong” Revilla, and Ilocos Norte representative Imee Marcos.
None of the eight senators fielded by the opposition “Otso Diretso” made it to the winners’ list.
The 24 senators in the Upper Chamber serve a term of six years each on a staggered arrangement with polls held every mid-term for the next set of legislators.
The palace was quick to credit the administration panel’s performance to what Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo described as the “Duterte Magic.”
“While the results of the elections are still unofficial, there appears to be an unstoppable trend towards a resounding victory of the administration’s favoured senatorial candidates,” Panelo said, adding that: “Undoubtedly, the Duterte magic spelt the difference.”
In a separate statement, Panelo also dispelled assertions that the result of the Monday mid-term polls would cement Duterte’s control over the Senate as well as the House of Representatives.
“If you notice the history of the Senate, it shows that members of that chamber have been independent ever since. 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,” he added.
The May 13 elections also saw changes in the fate of some political families.
Patriarch Joseph Estrada, the former president, lost the Manila mayoralty post to Isko Moreno, his vice-mayor. His son, Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada is also poised to lose in his bid for the senate post while his half-brother is on the verge of defeat.
Former Senator Sergio Osmena lost his candidacy for the senate while his brother Tomas, similarly failed to secure another term as Cebu City mayor.
