Marcos camp proclaims victory on Pres, VP bids: ‘Judge me not by my ancestors, but by my actions’

Two days after the 2022 Philippine elections, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.’s camp proclaimed a “victory for all Filipinos and for democracy” as he led the results by a landslide based on the unofficial and partial tallies.

As of writing, with 98% of votes counted based on election returns, Atty. Victor Rodriquez, Marcos’s spokesperson, released the statement, saying that the “Filipino people have spoken decisively.”

Citing the Marcos-Duterte tandem’s promise of unity of the nation, Rodriguez said that “the people have used their democratic vote” to make this happen.

Sara Duterte, daughter of incumbent President Rodrigo Duterte, and also Marcos’s Vice President, is also leading the unofficial and partial results by a landslide.

Marcos and Duterte each boasted 31 million votes, with 14 million (for Leni Robredo) and 9 million (for Kiko Pangilinan) being the next figures after them in the presidential and vice presidential races based on the unofficial and partial results.

“Bongbong looks forward to working across the Philippines, and with international partners and organizations, to address critical issues facing the country, and to begin delivering for the Filipino people,” the statement further read.

It also echoed Marcos saying, “Judge me not by my ancestors, but by my actions,” as his family faces numerous criticisms relating to ill-gotten wealth, tax evasion, and human rights violations rooted from his father’s dictatorship back in 1965 until 1986.

‘Sometimes very difficult journey’

It can be remembered that in the evening of May 9 when the partial results were first released, Marcos also spoke to his supporters, being thankful for what he described as six months of a sometimes very difficult journey.”

“I want to thank you for all that you have done for us. There are thousands of you out there: volunteers, parallel groups, political leaders that have…that cast their lot with us, because of their belief in our message of unity, because of their belief in the candidates, in the Marcos-Duterte tandem,” he said.

The Marcos-Duterte tandem has consistently led the Pulse Asia and OCTA Research Presidential surveys released during the month-long campaign period.

Protests outside COMELEC

On May 10, a day after the elections and the release of the first rounds of unofficial partial results, several groups composed of students, labor sector members, and religious group members, among others, protested outside the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) building.

The groups cried for transparency and explanation on an alleged “electoral fraud” based on reports of irregularities and issues in vote-counting machines.

On another note, several out of 10 Presidential candidates have already conceded. Robredo who is behind by about 16 million votes, did not concede as of publishing but has reminded her supporters that their efforts were not wasted. She also urged them to accept the final results but assured them that she will not ignore the complaints of irregularities.