FILE - In this photo provided by the News and Information Bureau, Malacanang Palace, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, left, takes his oath before Philippine Supreme Court Associate Justice Bienvenido Reyes during inauguration ceremony in Malacanang Palace, June 30, 2016 in Manila, Philippines. Holding the bible is President Duterte’s daughter Veronica. Others in photo are Duterte’s children, from right, Paolo Duterte, Sarah Duterte and Sebastian Duterte. (The News and Information Bureau, Malacanang Palace via AP, file)
Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte, center, arrives to cast her vote at a polling center in Davao City, southern Philippines, Monday, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Manman Dejeto)
Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte gestures as she speaks to the media during a press conference after casting her vote at a polling center in Davao City, southern Philippines, Monday, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Manman Dejeto)
Detained Philippines ex-President Duterte poised to win mayoral race in his home city
MANILA, Philippines (AP) 鈥 Despite his detention thousands of miles away in the International Criminal Court, former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte appeared to have been elected as mayor in his home city by a landslide, according to preliminary results on Tuesday.
FILE - In this photo provided by the News and Information Bureau, Malacanang Palace, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, left, takes his oath before Philippine Supreme Court Associate Justice Bienvenido Reyes during inauguration ceremony in Malacanang Palace, June 30, 2016 in Manila, Philippines. Holding the bible is President Duterte’s daughter Veronica. Others in photo are Duterte’s children, from right, Paolo Duterte, Sarah Duterte and Sebastian Duterte. (The News and Information Bureau, Malacanang Palace via AP, file)
MANILA, Philippines (AP) 鈥 Despite his detention thousands of miles away in the International Criminal Court, former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte appeared to have been elected as mayor in his home city by a landslide, according to preliminary results on Tuesday.
At least five candidates backed by his family were also among those leading the race for 12 Senate positions, in a stronger-than-expected showing in . Pre-election surveys had indicated only two of them would emerge victorious.
The results come as a boost for Duterte鈥檚 daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, ahead of an in the Senate in July over a raft of charges including alleged misuse of public funds and plotting to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife and the House speaker.
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Sara Duterte is considered a strong contender for the 2028 presidential race. But if convicted by the Senate, she will lose her job and be disqualified from holding public office forever. To be acquitted, she needs at least nine of the 24 senators to vote in her favor.
The official election results will be known within a week. But the partial and unofficial count by election watchdog Parish Pastoral Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting showed garnering more than half a million votes in his stronghold Davao City, nearly eight times more than his closest rival.
His youngest son, Sebastian, the incumbent mayor of Davao, is also leading the unofficial vote count in the race for Davao vice mayor. His eldest son, Paolo, who is seeking reelection as a member of the House of Representatives, and two grandsons in local races were also in the lead, in an indication of the family’s continued influence.
鈥淒uterte landslide in Davao!鈥 his youngest daughter Veronica posted on Facebook.
Duterte, nicknamed 鈥渢he Punisher鈥 and 鈥淒irty Harry,鈥 served as Davao’s mayor for two decades before becoming president. He has been in the custody of the International Criminal Court since March, awaiting trial for crimes against humanity over a that left thousands of suspects dead during his 2016-2022 presidency.
The impeachment and Rodrigo Duterte鈥檚 arrest and transfer to the tribunal in The Hague came after Marcos and Sara Duterte鈥檚 ties unraveled over political differences and their competing ambitions. Duterte supporters slammed Marcos’s government for arresting and surrendering the former leader to a court whose jurisdiction his supporters dispute.
Under Philippine law, candidates facing criminal charges, including those in detention, can run for office unless they have been convicted and have exhausted all appeals.
Sara Duterte had told reporters after voting on Monday that she was in talks with her father’s lawyers on how he could take his oath as mayor despite being behind bars. She had said the vice mayor, widely expected to be Sebastian, would likely be the acting mayor.
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