Rodrigo Duterte wins as mayor of Davao, but who will run the city while he is detained at The Hague?
The city of Davao is now in an unusual situation after former President Rodrigo Duterte was proclaimed the new mayor, despite being detained at The Hague. The unexpected outcome has left many questioning how the city will be governed while Duterte remains in custody.
When asked about the situation, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) clarified that the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) will determine who will take on the mayoral duties while Duterte remains detained.
'Ang DILG na po ang bahala doon, kasi as far as we are concerned, hanggang doon lang po kami sa… hanggang proclamation lang po kami, sa isang tao na nanalo,' Comelec Chair George Garcia told reporters in an ambush interview.
Garcia said that detained candidates can still be proclaimed winners unless there is a court or Comelec order to suspend the proclamation, which they have not received in Duterte's case.
After the proclamation, Comelec's jurisdiction ends, Garcia explained. Whether the winner takes office or not falls under the DILG, as outlined in the Local Government Code. He also emphasized that a candidate's physical presence during the proclamation is not required.
Duterte secured a landslide victory with 659,557 votes—about eight times more than his closest rival and former Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles.
Duterte was detained on March 11 after being arrested in the Philippines on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). He is facing charges of crimes against humanity related to extrajudicial killings for his war on drugs campaign during his term.
Meanwhile, his son Baste Duterte, the current mayor of Davao City, also won the vice mayoralty seat with 648,344 votes.
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