Who is Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Philippines' next president?
Marcos has won by a landslide in the race to replace President Rodrigo Duterte. Experts say his newfound popularity is the result of a decades-long campaign to improve the family's public image.
Marcos Jr. has seen widespread popularity among young people who do not remember his father's rule
Nearly 50 years after his father and late president declared martial law in the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. won the race to become the country's next president.
Having secured more than 30.8 million votes in the election held on Monday with over 97% of the ballots counted in an unofficial tally, Marcos is set to replace the current president, Rodrigo Duterte, at the end of June.
Marcos' nearest challenger, Vice President Leni Robredo, got 14.7 million votes.
A victory for Marcos Jr. makes for a stunning political comeback for his family, which has become synonymous with the massive accumulation of ill-gotten wealth and human rights violations. His late father, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., was toppled in a 1986 uprising after holding power with an iron fist for two decades.
Marcos Jr.'s vice-presidential running mate is Sara Duterte, daughter of the incumbent President Duterte.
A likely continuation of Duterte policies
Marcos, 64, has not presented many details about his policies, but is expected to carry ahead the same approach as his predecessor Duterte, pursuing a ruthless consolidation of power.
Critics say Marcos is attempting to rewrite the family's controversial history for a youthful electorate, though they believe he is unlikely to replicate his father's authoritarian style of ruling.
"He made promises [in his campaign] that played well with the public but aren't particularly practicable. So his campaign has focused on gut issues, such as the rising cost of living, and lowering electricity [prices]. But he is providing a vague notion of what he is able to achieve, making it seem more straightforward than it actually is, and people seem to be buying it," said DW Correspondent Janelle Dumalaon.
"This is the battle of the heart and soul of the country," Nicole Curato, a sociologist and political analyst, told DW.
"I don't mean to suggest that Marcos Jr. will impose martial law like his father did, but he will have the executive power to undermine institutions that were created in response to his father's abuse of power," she added.
A deades-long public image revamp
Marcos Sr. ruled the Philippines from 1965 to 1986 and he ruled as dictator under martial law from 1972 until 1981. During those years, more than 60,000 people were detained, over 30,000 tortured, and an estimated 3,000 were killed, according to rights groups. He was overthrown in a peaceful revolution in 1986 and died in 1989 while living in exile in Hawaii.
After the Marcos family was allowed to return to the Philippines in 1991, Marcos Jr. and his mother Imelda quickly moved back into politics. Imelda Marcos was elected to congress for four terms.
Marcos Jr. spent 21 years in public office, serving in the legislature and as governor of the family's stronghold in the province of Ilocos Norte. He unsuccessfully ran for vice president in 2016.
Many have said that Marcos' rise to power is the result of a decades-long attempt to improve the image of the family, also through social media. An online campaign across YouTube and Facebook has attempted to frame the time under Marcos Sr. not as a period rife with human rights abuses and corruption, but rather as a time of low crime and prosperity.
A series of questionably edited videos has also sought to convince Filipinos that the stories of corruption on the part of the Marcos family were untrue. Marcos Jr. has also seen widespread popularity among young people who do not remember his father's rule.
Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru
Marcos has won by a landslide in the race to replace President Rodrigo Duterte. Experts say his newfound popularity is the result of a decades-long campaign to improve the family's public image.
Marcos Jr. has seen widespread popularity among young people who do not remember his father's rule
Nearly 50 years after his father and late president declared martial law in the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. won the race to become the country's next president.
Having secured more than 30.8 million votes in the election held on Monday with over 97% of the ballots counted in an unofficial tally, Marcos is set to replace the current president, Rodrigo Duterte, at the end of June.
Marcos' nearest challenger, Vice President Leni Robredo, got 14.7 million votes.
A victory for Marcos Jr. makes for a stunning political comeback for his family, which has become synonymous with the massive accumulation of ill-gotten wealth and human rights violations. His late father, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., was toppled in a 1986 uprising after holding power with an iron fist for two decades.
Marcos Jr.'s vice-presidential running mate is Sara Duterte, daughter of the incumbent President Duterte.
A likely continuation of Duterte policies
Marcos, 64, has not presented many details about his policies, but is expected to carry ahead the same approach as his predecessor Duterte, pursuing a ruthless consolidation of power.
Critics say Marcos is attempting to rewrite the family's controversial history for a youthful electorate, though they believe he is unlikely to replicate his father's authoritarian style of ruling.
"He made promises [in his campaign] that played well with the public but aren't particularly practicable. So his campaign has focused on gut issues, such as the rising cost of living, and lowering electricity [prices]. But he is providing a vague notion of what he is able to achieve, making it seem more straightforward than it actually is, and people seem to be buying it," said DW Correspondent Janelle Dumalaon.
"This is the battle of the heart and soul of the country," Nicole Curato, a sociologist and political analyst, told DW.
"I don't mean to suggest that Marcos Jr. will impose martial law like his father did, but he will have the executive power to undermine institutions that were created in response to his father's abuse of power," she added.
A deades-long public image revamp
Marcos Sr. ruled the Philippines from 1965 to 1986 and he ruled as dictator under martial law from 1972 until 1981. During those years, more than 60,000 people were detained, over 30,000 tortured, and an estimated 3,000 were killed, according to rights groups. He was overthrown in a peaceful revolution in 1986 and died in 1989 while living in exile in Hawaii.
After the Marcos family was allowed to return to the Philippines in 1991, Marcos Jr. and his mother Imelda quickly moved back into politics. Imelda Marcos was elected to congress for four terms.
Marcos Jr. spent 21 years in public office, serving in the legislature and as governor of the family's stronghold in the province of Ilocos Norte. He unsuccessfully ran for vice president in 2016.
Many have said that Marcos' rise to power is the result of a decades-long attempt to improve the image of the family, also through social media. An online campaign across YouTube and Facebook has attempted to frame the time under Marcos Sr. not as a period rife with human rights abuses and corruption, but rather as a time of low crime and prosperity.
A series of questionably edited videos has also sought to convince Filipinos that the stories of corruption on the part of the Marcos family were untrue. Marcos Jr. has also seen widespread popularity among young people who do not remember his father's rule.
Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru
Filipinos hold protest after Marcos clan return to power
(AFP/Andrew LEESON)
Andrew BEATTY, Allison JACKSON
Mon, May 9, 2022,
The son of late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos cemented a landslide presidential election victory Tuesday, after Filipinos bet a familiar but tainted dynasty could ease rampant poverty -- while dismissing warnings the clan's return would deepen corruption and weaken democracy.
With an initial count almost complete, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Junior had secured over 56 percent of the vote and more than double the tally of his nearest rival, liberal Leni Robredo.
His now unassailable lead of 16 million-plus votes spells another astonishing reversal in the fortunes of the Marcos family, who have gone from the presidential palace to pariahs and back again in the space of a few decades.
The Marcos victory is a hammer blow to millions of Filipinos who hoped to reverse course after six bloody years of increasingly authoritarian rule by outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte.
Far from repudiating Duterte's excesses, Filipino voters elected his daughter Sara as vice president by a landslide in a parallel vote.
In 1986, Marcos senior and kleptocratic first lady Imelda Marcos were chased into exile by the "People Power" revolution.
Marcos junior steadfastly refused to denounce his family's brutal and corrupt excesses in a campaign marked by a relentless online whitewashing of history.
With memories of the regime fading with time and muddied by countless misleading Facebook posts, Filipino voters turned to Marcos to rekindle past glories that were mostly imagined.
"He will lift our country from the poverty we're experiencing now," said supporter and retired police officer Anthony Sola, who described himself as elated.
The 50-year-old dismissed allegations that the Marcoses stole as much as $10 billion during their last period in power: "I don't believe they stole money, because if they did, they should have been imprisoned already."
Some 43 percent of Filipinos consider themselves poor, and 39 percent more feel they are on the borderline, according to a March poll by the Social Weather Survey.
Delivering a late-night address from his campaign headquarters in Manila on Monday, a tired but beaming Marcos thanked volunteers for months of "sacrifices and work".
But he stopped short of claiming victory, warning that "the count is not yet done". A fully certified tally is not expected before May 28.
On the streets, hundreds of ecstatic supporters set off fireworks late into the night, waved the national flag and clambered onto parked cars to chant in victory.
- 'More death, more hunger' -
Rights activists, Catholic leaders and political commentators all had warned about returning the Marcos clan to power.
"This election could have been our biggest chance for radical change," said Mae Paner, a 58-year-old political satirist who was part of the People Power Revolution.
"There will be more death, there will be more debt, there will be more hunger. The Marcoses will steal," she said.
Bonifacio Ilagan, who endured two years of imprisonment and torture under Marcos senior's imposition of martial law, said the election exposed a deep malaise in Philippine society.
It had, he said, laid bare, "how deeply the trickery of historical fraudsters has seeped into the consciousness of Filipinos."
Failed presidential hopeful Leni Robredo, a lawyer and the current vice president, admitted "clear disappointment" about the result but vowed to continue the fight against poor governance.
The 57-year-old had promised to clean up the dirty style of politics that has long plagued the feudal and corrupt democracy, where a handful of surnames hold sway.
In the final weeks before the election, her campaign morphed into a catchall pro-democracy movement that drew almost one million people to a single protest in Manila.
Fearing a backlash from 15 million disgruntled voters -- with many alleging voting irregularities in Monday's poll -- police urged restraint.
"I am appealing to you to remain calm. Let us respect the result of the vote," said acting Philippine police chief Lieutenant-General Vicente Danao.
The country's Commission on Elections indicated that despite long queues and problems with some voting machines, the initial tabulation of votes had gone well.
- Failure to connect -
For the liberal opposition, analyst Mark Thompson said there should be a period of soul searching and a broadening of its message beyond "good governance".
"They need to make clear that they're going to improve the lives of the average Filipino," said Thompson, who is director of the Southeast Asia Research Centre at the City University of Hong Kong.
For Marcos, the coming weeks and months will bring high expectations from poor supporters already angry at a string of post-dictatorship governments, which many believe had failed to materially improve their lives.
"He is yet to set out a coherent, detailed, plan for getting the Philippines' economy back on track after the devastation of the pandemic," said Eurasia Group analyst Peter Mumford.
Marcos will have to try to meet those expectations while keeping the support of several of the country's powerful political dynasties, who will expect patronage in return for delivering blocs of votes.
"One of the key watchpoints under his administration will be whether corruption and cronyism -- already notable risks in the Philippines -- worsen," said Mumford.
bur-arb/amj/cwl
Andrew BEATTY, Allison JACKSON
Mon, May 9, 2022,
The son of late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos cemented a landslide presidential election victory Tuesday, after Filipinos bet a familiar but tainted dynasty could ease rampant poverty -- while dismissing warnings the clan's return would deepen corruption and weaken democracy.
With an initial count almost complete, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Junior had secured over 56 percent of the vote and more than double the tally of his nearest rival, liberal Leni Robredo.
His now unassailable lead of 16 million-plus votes spells another astonishing reversal in the fortunes of the Marcos family, who have gone from the presidential palace to pariahs and back again in the space of a few decades.
The Marcos victory is a hammer blow to millions of Filipinos who hoped to reverse course after six bloody years of increasingly authoritarian rule by outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte.
Far from repudiating Duterte's excesses, Filipino voters elected his daughter Sara as vice president by a landslide in a parallel vote.
In 1986, Marcos senior and kleptocratic first lady Imelda Marcos were chased into exile by the "People Power" revolution.
Marcos junior steadfastly refused to denounce his family's brutal and corrupt excesses in a campaign marked by a relentless online whitewashing of history.
With memories of the regime fading with time and muddied by countless misleading Facebook posts, Filipino voters turned to Marcos to rekindle past glories that were mostly imagined.
"He will lift our country from the poverty we're experiencing now," said supporter and retired police officer Anthony Sola, who described himself as elated.
The 50-year-old dismissed allegations that the Marcoses stole as much as $10 billion during their last period in power: "I don't believe they stole money, because if they did, they should have been imprisoned already."
Some 43 percent of Filipinos consider themselves poor, and 39 percent more feel they are on the borderline, according to a March poll by the Social Weather Survey.
Delivering a late-night address from his campaign headquarters in Manila on Monday, a tired but beaming Marcos thanked volunteers for months of "sacrifices and work".
But he stopped short of claiming victory, warning that "the count is not yet done". A fully certified tally is not expected before May 28.
On the streets, hundreds of ecstatic supporters set off fireworks late into the night, waved the national flag and clambered onto parked cars to chant in victory.
- 'More death, more hunger' -
Rights activists, Catholic leaders and political commentators all had warned about returning the Marcos clan to power.
"This election could have been our biggest chance for radical change," said Mae Paner, a 58-year-old political satirist who was part of the People Power Revolution.
"There will be more death, there will be more debt, there will be more hunger. The Marcoses will steal," she said.
Bonifacio Ilagan, who endured two years of imprisonment and torture under Marcos senior's imposition of martial law, said the election exposed a deep malaise in Philippine society.
It had, he said, laid bare, "how deeply the trickery of historical fraudsters has seeped into the consciousness of Filipinos."
Failed presidential hopeful Leni Robredo, a lawyer and the current vice president, admitted "clear disappointment" about the result but vowed to continue the fight against poor governance.
The 57-year-old had promised to clean up the dirty style of politics that has long plagued the feudal and corrupt democracy, where a handful of surnames hold sway.
In the final weeks before the election, her campaign morphed into a catchall pro-democracy movement that drew almost one million people to a single protest in Manila.
Fearing a backlash from 15 million disgruntled voters -- with many alleging voting irregularities in Monday's poll -- police urged restraint.
"I am appealing to you to remain calm. Let us respect the result of the vote," said acting Philippine police chief Lieutenant-General Vicente Danao.
The country's Commission on Elections indicated that despite long queues and problems with some voting machines, the initial tabulation of votes had gone well.
- Failure to connect -
For the liberal opposition, analyst Mark Thompson said there should be a period of soul searching and a broadening of its message beyond "good governance".
"They need to make clear that they're going to improve the lives of the average Filipino," said Thompson, who is director of the Southeast Asia Research Centre at the City University of Hong Kong.
For Marcos, the coming weeks and months will bring high expectations from poor supporters already angry at a string of post-dictatorship governments, which many believe had failed to materially improve their lives.
"He is yet to set out a coherent, detailed, plan for getting the Philippines' economy back on track after the devastation of the pandemic," said Eurasia Group analyst Peter Mumford.
Marcos will have to try to meet those expectations while keeping the support of several of the country's powerful political dynasties, who will expect patronage in return for delivering blocs of votes.
"One of the key watchpoints under his administration will be whether corruption and cronyism -- already notable risks in the Philippines -- worsen," said Mumford.
bur-arb/amj/cwl
Duterte popularity sweeps daughter to Philippines election win
Outgoing Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte could face international charges over his deadly drug war, but his daughter's thumping victory in the vice presidential race shows his popularity remains sky-high
(AFP/Ted ALJIBE) (Ted ALJIBE)
Cecil MORELLA
Tue, May 10, 2022
Outgoing Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte could face international charges over his deadly drug war, but his daughter's thumping victory in the vice presidential race shows his popularity remains sky-high.
Sara Duterte secured more than half the votes in Monday's election, a ringing endorsement for the family name that has become a byword for brutality and impunity in the poverty-plagued country.
More than 6,200 people have officially died in Duterte's anti-narcotics campaign since he came to power in 2016, but rights groups estimate the true figure is in the tens of thousands.
While the deaths have been widely condemned and triggered an International Criminal Court probe, Duterte's swift brand of justice struck a chord with many Filipinos fed up with the bureaucracy, corruption and dysfunction that affects their daily lives.
That popularity has rubbed off on his daughter, who supporters see as a safe pair of hands to continue his legacy -- and protect him from potential criminal charges in the Philippines or abroad when he leaves office.
Sara Duterte's success in the election on Monday cements the family's place at the centre of politics for another six years and ensures the Duterte name stays on the list of powerful political dynasties.
With her running mate Ferdinand Marcos Junior capturing the presidency, the two offspring of authoritarian leaders have been elevated to the nation's highest elected positions.
On the campaign trail, they embraced many of the elder Duterte's policies, alarming human rights activists, journalists and religious leaders.
Duterte, 43, had once been tipped to try to succeed her father in the presidential palace as voter surveys last year put her well in front of other possible contenders, including Marcos Jr.
But she stunned political observers -- and apparently her dad -- by striking a deal with the son of the country's former dictator and instead running for the deputy's job.
When Duterte walked arm-in-arm with Marcos Jr at a society wedding near Manila last November, Filipinos knew a political marriage had also been sealed.
The arrangement also brought together several powerful families that control swathes of the Philippines and have the means to direct voters to support their chosen candidate.
"I think we would have had an entirely different race had Sara Duterte decided to run for the presidency -- probably Marcos would not have run at all," said political analyst Richard Heydarian, after a recent pre-election survey showed Marcos Jr on track to win big.
While her role as vice president will be largely ceremonial, it puts her within a heartbeat of the highest office and in pole position to run for president in six years' time.
She could also wield significant influence in the next administration.
The elder Duterte will be hoping so as he prepares to step down on June 30, making him fair game for prosecution.
- Quick temper -
Until now, Duterte's career has been in lockstep with her father, following him into law and then succeeding him as mayor of Davao City on the southern island of Mindanao.
Known for her quick temper -- she once repeatedly punched a court sheriff in front of TV cameras -- she also has a fondness for big motorbikes and tattoos.
She is married and has three children nicknamed Sharkie, Stingray and Stonefish.
Duterte entered politics in 2007, serving three years as vice mayor while her father was mayor of Davao -- the family stronghold.
They swapped positions for the next three years and she again succeeded him as mayor in 2016 when he won the presidency.
Analysts say Duterte is not a carbon copy of her father, describing her as a more moderate version of a man known for his foul-mouthed tirades.
Yet some had questioned her broad appeal to voters, saying she lacked the charisma and humour of her father -- key traits in a country where personality trumps policy.
Duterte has a fractious relationship with her dad, but has acted as first lady on some of his official trips overseas.
She defended him on the 2016 campaign trail after he sparked international outcry by joking about an Australian missionary who was raped and killed.
The younger Duterte disclosed in a since-deleted Instagram post: "Not a joke. I am a rape victim. But I will still vote for President Rodrigo Duterte."
cgm/amj/arb/qan
Cecil MORELLA
Tue, May 10, 2022
Outgoing Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte could face international charges over his deadly drug war, but his daughter's thumping victory in the vice presidential race shows his popularity remains sky-high.
Sara Duterte secured more than half the votes in Monday's election, a ringing endorsement for the family name that has become a byword for brutality and impunity in the poverty-plagued country.
More than 6,200 people have officially died in Duterte's anti-narcotics campaign since he came to power in 2016, but rights groups estimate the true figure is in the tens of thousands.
While the deaths have been widely condemned and triggered an International Criminal Court probe, Duterte's swift brand of justice struck a chord with many Filipinos fed up with the bureaucracy, corruption and dysfunction that affects their daily lives.
That popularity has rubbed off on his daughter, who supporters see as a safe pair of hands to continue his legacy -- and protect him from potential criminal charges in the Philippines or abroad when he leaves office.
Sara Duterte's success in the election on Monday cements the family's place at the centre of politics for another six years and ensures the Duterte name stays on the list of powerful political dynasties.
With her running mate Ferdinand Marcos Junior capturing the presidency, the two offspring of authoritarian leaders have been elevated to the nation's highest elected positions.
On the campaign trail, they embraced many of the elder Duterte's policies, alarming human rights activists, journalists and religious leaders.
Duterte, 43, had once been tipped to try to succeed her father in the presidential palace as voter surveys last year put her well in front of other possible contenders, including Marcos Jr.
But she stunned political observers -- and apparently her dad -- by striking a deal with the son of the country's former dictator and instead running for the deputy's job.
When Duterte walked arm-in-arm with Marcos Jr at a society wedding near Manila last November, Filipinos knew a political marriage had also been sealed.
The arrangement also brought together several powerful families that control swathes of the Philippines and have the means to direct voters to support their chosen candidate.
"I think we would have had an entirely different race had Sara Duterte decided to run for the presidency -- probably Marcos would not have run at all," said political analyst Richard Heydarian, after a recent pre-election survey showed Marcos Jr on track to win big.
While her role as vice president will be largely ceremonial, it puts her within a heartbeat of the highest office and in pole position to run for president in six years' time.
She could also wield significant influence in the next administration.
The elder Duterte will be hoping so as he prepares to step down on June 30, making him fair game for prosecution.
- Quick temper -
Until now, Duterte's career has been in lockstep with her father, following him into law and then succeeding him as mayor of Davao City on the southern island of Mindanao.
Known for her quick temper -- she once repeatedly punched a court sheriff in front of TV cameras -- she also has a fondness for big motorbikes and tattoos.
She is married and has three children nicknamed Sharkie, Stingray and Stonefish.
Duterte entered politics in 2007, serving three years as vice mayor while her father was mayor of Davao -- the family stronghold.
They swapped positions for the next three years and she again succeeded him as mayor in 2016 when he won the presidency.
Analysts say Duterte is not a carbon copy of her father, describing her as a more moderate version of a man known for his foul-mouthed tirades.
Yet some had questioned her broad appeal to voters, saying she lacked the charisma and humour of her father -- key traits in a country where personality trumps policy.
Duterte has a fractious relationship with her dad, but has acted as first lady on some of his official trips overseas.
She defended him on the 2016 campaign trail after he sparked international outcry by joking about an Australian missionary who was raped and killed.
The younger Duterte disclosed in a since-deleted Instagram post: "Not a joke. I am a rape victim. But I will still vote for President Rodrigo Duterte."
cgm/amj/arb/qan
Boxing great Pacquiao gets knock out blow in Philippine presidential polls
Allison JACKSON
Tue, May 10, 2022
Manny Pacquiao, Philippine boxing legend, failed to hit the mark with voters
Allison JACKSON
Tue, May 10, 2022
Manny Pacquiao, Philippine boxing legend, failed to hit the mark with voters
(AFP/Ted ALJIBE)
Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao quit the sport that lifted him out of poverty to rumble for the Philippines presidency, but his tough talk on drugs and crime failed to hit the mark with voters.
His bid for the top job started in typical bold style: a livestream broadcast of himself riding in a coach emblazoned with "Man of Destiny" through Manila's morning traffic to file his candidacy.
But his vow to jail corrupt politicians and arrest drug users -- despite having admitted using crystal meth and marijuana when he was a younger -- failed to deliver a knockout punch and he lost Monday's election by a huge margin.
An initial tally showed Pacquiao picked up fewer than four million votes, or 6.8 percent of votes counted.
That left him a distant third behind winner Ferdinand Marcos Junior, who got more than half the votes, and runner-up Leni Robredo.
The loss came as no surprise -- pre-election surveys showed Pacquiao had almost no chance of winning.
But the fervent evangelical Christian convert had talked up his chances of victory until the last moment.
"I believe there are more poor people than rich ones," Pacquiao told reporters on Monday as he voted in his southern home province of Sarangani.
"We want to assure them that the majority of the poor will unite to show the rich that there are more people suffering in poverty in this country," said Pacquiao, who lives in an enclave of billionaires and foreign ambassadors when he is in Manila.
The failed tilt for the country's highest elected office has cost Pacquiao more than just money and pride -- he also had to give up running for a second term in the celebrity-packed Senate, which he likely would have had a strong chance of winning.
In an interview with AFP in November, Pacquiao, a former congressman, ruled out a sporting comeback if he lost the presidential election.
"I'm already turning 43 years old, so it's enough for me, I'm done," said the father of five.
Pacquiao said he would instead grow fruit on a 20-hectare (49-acre) property in Sarangani.
"It's also quiet (there), I like that," he said.
- Deeply admired -
Pacquiao is deeply admired across the archipelago for his rise from desperate street kid to one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters of all time.
But he has stirred controversy as a politician and devout Christian.
Pacquiao was a high profile supporter of Duterte's deadly drug war and push to restore the death penalty.
His credibility took a punch from his own admission of past drug use, while homophobic comments cost him a lucrative sponsorship deal with sportswear giant Nike.
Critics also accused the high-school dropout of lacking intellect and barely turning up to sessions in Congress and the Senate, which had raised questions about his ability to run the country of 110 million people.
And he risked valuable political capital last year in a public spat with Duterte that led to a deep fracture inside their political party.
Pacquiao announced his retirement from boxing in September, shortly before declaring his run for the presidency.
Asked when the star would concede defeat, a spokesperson said Pacquiao was "resting" after the months-long campaign and voting.
"Senator Pacquiao conveys his heartfelt thanks to the journalists and wishes you will continue to enjoy the freedom of expression."
amj/cgm/oho
Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao quit the sport that lifted him out of poverty to rumble for the Philippines presidency, but his tough talk on drugs and crime failed to hit the mark with voters.
His bid for the top job started in typical bold style: a livestream broadcast of himself riding in a coach emblazoned with "Man of Destiny" through Manila's morning traffic to file his candidacy.
But his vow to jail corrupt politicians and arrest drug users -- despite having admitted using crystal meth and marijuana when he was a younger -- failed to deliver a knockout punch and he lost Monday's election by a huge margin.
An initial tally showed Pacquiao picked up fewer than four million votes, or 6.8 percent of votes counted.
That left him a distant third behind winner Ferdinand Marcos Junior, who got more than half the votes, and runner-up Leni Robredo.
The loss came as no surprise -- pre-election surveys showed Pacquiao had almost no chance of winning.
But the fervent evangelical Christian convert had talked up his chances of victory until the last moment.
"I believe there are more poor people than rich ones," Pacquiao told reporters on Monday as he voted in his southern home province of Sarangani.
"We want to assure them that the majority of the poor will unite to show the rich that there are more people suffering in poverty in this country," said Pacquiao, who lives in an enclave of billionaires and foreign ambassadors when he is in Manila.
The failed tilt for the country's highest elected office has cost Pacquiao more than just money and pride -- he also had to give up running for a second term in the celebrity-packed Senate, which he likely would have had a strong chance of winning.
In an interview with AFP in November, Pacquiao, a former congressman, ruled out a sporting comeback if he lost the presidential election.
"I'm already turning 43 years old, so it's enough for me, I'm done," said the father of five.
Pacquiao said he would instead grow fruit on a 20-hectare (49-acre) property in Sarangani.
"It's also quiet (there), I like that," he said.
- Deeply admired -
Pacquiao is deeply admired across the archipelago for his rise from desperate street kid to one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters of all time.
But he has stirred controversy as a politician and devout Christian.
Pacquiao was a high profile supporter of Duterte's deadly drug war and push to restore the death penalty.
His credibility took a punch from his own admission of past drug use, while homophobic comments cost him a lucrative sponsorship deal with sportswear giant Nike.
Critics also accused the high-school dropout of lacking intellect and barely turning up to sessions in Congress and the Senate, which had raised questions about his ability to run the country of 110 million people.
And he risked valuable political capital last year in a public spat with Duterte that led to a deep fracture inside their political party.
Pacquiao announced his retirement from boxing in September, shortly before declaring his run for the presidency.
Asked when the star would concede defeat, a spokesperson said Pacquiao was "resting" after the months-long campaign and voting.
"Senator Pacquiao conveys his heartfelt thanks to the journalists and wishes you will continue to enjoy the freedom of expression."
amj/cgm/oho
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