The Philippines is now summing up its latest tally for the 2016 national election.
Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is leading three-quarters of the already counted votes based on the latest polls. Reports show that unofficial vote count tells that he won. If he emerged as the victor, his triumph will represent "a massive political shift" in the country.
The leading presidential hopeful dubbed as the "Trump of the East", "Duterte Harry" and "The Punisher" increasingly became quite famous following promises to eradicate poverty and puts an end to corruption. He was also honored with making Davao as one of the safest cities in the Philippines, according to Business Insider.
Duterte made a sequential of winding belligerent and sometimes funny remarks on television as votes were being counted uttering over corruption and bad governance and telling anecdotes from his term of 22 years as Davao City mayor. He stated that rotten officials should "retire or die" and reprise his support for police to use of fatal force against criminals.
"If they put up a good fight and refuse to surrender and if you feel your life is in jeopardy, shoot. You have my authority," he told reporters in Davao, wearing a checked shirt and slouched in a chair, the Huffington Post reported.
On the early exit polls, it has shown that Duterte leads with 38.92% of the counted votes while Grace Poe, another presidential and a controversial former senator because of her citizenship, earned 22.14% based on the Commission on Elections as reported by WVTM13.
"I congratulate Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, and I promise to join in the healing of our nation and to unify our countrymen for our country's progress," Poe said, according to CNN Philippines. Poe is a popular senator who was challenged over her citizenship.
However, some investors became nervous over some controversial comments and reports about his term as a mayor. Even if he has established a reputation for fighting crimes during his 22 year term as a mayor, he has been accused as well of extrajudicial killings in order to achieve it.
Particularly, the probable president didn't emphasize too much about the economy suggesting that it is hard to predict what his presumed victory meant for the country's economy. If he wins, that means he won the hearts of the Filipinos. After the proclamation, he should win the favor and trust of the investors.
