By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz
Congress on Monday proclaimed Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte and Liberal Party Rep. Maria Leonor G. Robredo of Camarines Sur as the country’s duly elected president and vice president, respectively.
House Speaker Feliciano R. Belmonte Jr. and Senate President Franklin M. Drilon said members of Congress have unanimously approved in a joint session Resolution of Both Houses 1, submitted by the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC), showing Duterte and Robredo as winners in the May 9 national elections.
Duterte, who skipped the proclamation ceremonies, won by a landslide 16,601,997 votes, while Robredo garnered 14,418,817 votes. Duterte will be the 16th president of the Republic of the Philippines.
Vulnerable
Vice-presidential bet Sen. Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr.’s campaign adviser and Party-list Rep. Jonathan de la Cruz of Abakada, in a speech before the approval of the resolution, scored vote-counting machines provider Smartmatic.
“Clearly, the system as we know it and as implemented in the past three automated elections by the Comelec [Commission on Elections] and its technology partner, a company now known as ‘Smartmagic,’ has been shown as liable to outside interference,” he said.
“It is vulnerable to rigging and manipulations. No less than former Comelec Chairman Christian S. Monsod has emphatically noted that the concerns raised in the May elections by lots of parties, including those who ran under the administration party, have seriously damaged the integrity of the entire automated election system [AES],” he said.
Earlier, Marcos filed before the Manila City Prosecutor’s Office criminal charges against Comelec personnel and technology provider Smartmatic International for violation of the Cybercrime Prevention Act.
The complaint alleged that Smartmatic and some Comelec personnel illegally accessed the transparency server of the poll body to introduce a new script on the night of May 9 without proper authorization.
Also, the Marcos camp filed before the Comelec charges of violation of the automated election law against Smartmatic employee Marlon Garcia, who was identified as the one responsible for introducing a new script in the transparency server.
In his speech, de la Cruz said, “Let there be no doubt, while I strongly disagree with the NBOC’s count, I accept it. I accept with finality the count which was ratified by the joint session.” Marcos garnered a total of 14,155,344.
Meanwhile, a Bloomberg report quoted Duterte as saying that he plans to work each day from 1 p.m. until midnight.
“I don’t care about your 8 a.m.-to-5 p.m. schedule,” Duterte said at a press conference in Davao City that began around midnight. “I’ll be sleeping by then. How can you make me work?”
Nor does he plan on giving up the creature comforts of his home in Davao, where he has served as mayor for more than two decades.
The 71-year-old president-elect has vowed to catch a commercial flight to and from Manila each day until he adjusts to life in the presidential palace.
Duterte indicated that he planned to make the daily trip at least for the first few days of his administration.
“My bed is here. My room is here. My home is my comfort zone. It’s important that I can sleep and take a shower comfortably,” the Davao City mayor said.
Duterte has already shown a fondness for unusual working practices, including frequent late- night or early-morning press briefings. Set to be sworn in on June 30, he has pledged to curb crime and corruption, while continuing the economic policies of outgoing President Aquino.
Duterte said that one of his most important tasks will be to pore over documents in his study before signing them.
“Unlike others, I don’t like to sign them unless I know what I’m signing about. It would take time,” he said.
(With reports from Bloomberg News)
Image credits: AP