Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, the newly-elected President of the Republic of the Philippines opted to perform his tasks and duties as Mayor of Davao City on the day of his proclamation as the 16th President of the Philippines as the joint session of Philippine Congress officially proclaimed him as winner of the presidential race.
According to Mayor Duterte’s close aide, Christopher “Bong” Go, the mayor is doing his chores as Mayor of Davao City. During an earlier interview with the media, his future Cabinet member Jess Dureza also revealed that the mayor will not attend the proclamation because he will attend to his well-wishers in Davao City.
Mayor Rody Duterte will officially become the 16th President of the Philippines on June 30, the day of his inauguration, while President Benigno Aquino III will step down from office as the country’s chief executive.
Right now, technically Mayor Rody Duterte remains the mayor of Davao City, one of the country’s safest and largest city in the Philippines. He will be replaced by his daughter Atty. Inday Sara Duterte, who won the mayoralty race unopposed during the 2016 local elections in Davao City.
Mayor Rody Duterte also revealed during an interview with the media on Sunday that he has never attended any proclamation in his entire political career since he joined politics two decades ago.
President-elect Mayor Rody Duterte garnered 16,601,997 votes in the final and official tally, edging closest rival, former interior secretary Mar Roxas, who got 9,978,175 votes.
Veteran election lawyer Romulo Macalintal earlier urged Duterte to rethink his plans of missing the event, saying that the proclamation is an age-old tradition that the incoming president should honor.
Although the President of the Republic of the Philippines, Mayor Rody Duterte, his Vice President, Rep. Leni Robredo attended the proclamation with her entire family.