Headline PH: Aquino, 15th President of the Philippines proclaimed

MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE 2) Senator Benigno Aquino III has been proclaimed as the country’s 15th President.

Chorus of cheers hailed from the gallery as Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Speaker Prospero Nograles proclaimed Aquino and Vice President Jejomar Binay at 3:40 p.m., officially sealing their victory in the May 10 automated elections.

Enrile and Nograles raised the hands of Aquino and Binay shortly after 4 p.m. following a brief break by the two chambers.

Following tradition, Aquino and Binay did not deliver speeches before the plenary. They are expected to hold a news conference after the proclamation ceremonies.

Aquino, who wore a Barong Tagalog embroidered with his trademark ribbon, came with sisters Kris Aquino-Yap, Pinky Aquino-Abellada, Balsy Aquino-Cruz, Viel Aquino-Dee, and their families.

Congress, sitting as the national board of canvassers, finished counting the electronically-generated certificates of canvass in a record eight days.

Aquino, who formally takes office on June 30, crushed his rivals after promising to tackle the pervasive graft and grinding poverty that have long afflicted the sprawling Asian archipelago of more than 90 million people.

In the final tally, Aquino garnered 15,208,678 votes against closest rival, former president Joseph Estrada, who got 9,487,837 votes or a difference of 5,720,841 votes.

Coming in third was Senator Manuel Villar with 5,573,835 votes; followed by administration candidate Gilbert Teodoro with 4,095,839 votes; evangelist Eduardo Villanueva with 1,125,878 votes; Senator Richard Gordon with 501,727 votes; disqualified candidate Vetallano Acosta with 181,985 votes; Senator Ma. Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal with 46,489 votes; Nicanor Perlas with 54,575 votes; and JC Delos Reyes with 44,244 votes.

The vice presidential race had been a toss-up between Binay and Senator Manuel “Mar” Roxas II throughout the entire canvassing in Congress.

But Binay won big in Cavite, Bulacan, Laguna, Batangas, Makati City, and some Mindanao provinces that gave him a 727,084-edge over Roxas.

In the final tally, Binay got 14,645,574 votes as against the 13,918,490 votes of Roxas.

Senator Loren Legarda ranked third with 4,294,664 votes, followed by Bayani Fernando with 1,017,631; Edu Manzano with 807,728; Perfecto Yasay with 364,652; Jay Sonza with 64,230; and Dominador Chipeco with 52,562.

A 50-year-old bachelor, Aquino is the son of martyred Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. and former President Corazon Aquino, who ascended to power through a bloodless people’s uprising that ousted the Marcos dictatorship in 1986.

Aquino had no plans of seeking the presidency until the death of his mother in August 2009, when calls from various sectors forced him to join the presidential race.

In his campaign advertisements, Aquino’s message focused in the fight against corruption and taking the right path (daang matuwid) towards national development.

A joint session of Congress formally ratified the results and proclaimed Aquino the Philippines' 15th president. His inauguration is scheduled for the end of the month.

The rafters were packed with supporters wearing yellow, the trademark campaign color of the Aquino family.

Wearing a traditional formal shirt, Aquino arrived surrounded by family and friends and was escorted to a holding room.

Legislators from the two houses of Congress approved Aquino's election by acclamation, and Senate majority leader Juan Miguel Zubiri declared him "the duly elected president of the republic".

"It is now time to heal the wounds of the election. It is time to move forward," Zubiri said on television.

Ironically, the 73-year-old Estrada held the record for the biggest win in recent Philippine political history when he triumphed in the 1998 elections with 39 percent of the total vote.

But the former action-movie star was ousted three years later, half-way through his term, amid allegations of corruption for which he was later convicted.

"I sincerely offer my congratulations to my good friend and worthy opponent," Estrada said in a speech read by his son in Congress.

"I am confident that president-elect Aquino will fulfill his campaign promise to address the problem of corruption."

For Aquino, victory is another chapter in his family's dramatic political story.

His father was shot dead in 1983 at Manila airport as he returned from US exile to lead the democracy movement against Marcos.

His mother took over from her slain husband and led the "People Power" revolution that eventually toppled Marcos in 1986. She then served as president for six years.

Her death from cancer last August triggered a massive outpouring of support for the family that turned the son from a low-key senator to presidential front-runner.

Aquino, an economics graduate from the Ateneo de Manila University, has said that fighting corruption, improving the economy and bridging the enormous wealth divide will be among his top priorities.

But his Liberal Party will be hamstrung in its efforts to implement reforms after its choice for the vice presidency, Mar Roxas, lost.

Estrada's running mate, Jejomar Binay, won the vice presidential contest and could potentially be a destabilizing force for Aquino.

However, Binay insisted on Wednesday he would be a positive influence in government.

"I am a team player and I am willing to work with the president. Whatever is asked of me [I will do]," Binay told Agence France-Presse.

The Liberal Party will also not have a majority in either house of parliament.

The Lakas-Kampi-Christian Muslim Democrats coalition of outgoing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will remain powerful in parliament, and Arroyo won a seat in the lower house, where she could lead opposition to Aquino.

By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez
Agence France-Presse, INQUIRER.net

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