FORMER President Rodrigo Duterte’s lawyer, Nicholas Kaufman, asserted on Tuesday that the former president’s landslide victory in Davao City represented a “total rejection” by the public of the Marcos administration’s efforts to “stamp out” his legacy.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) proclaimed Duterte mayor-elect with 662,630 votes, significantly outpacing his rival Karlo Nograles, who received 80,852 votes.
“The solitary ballot paper of Rodrigo Duterte is of less significance than the overwhelming support expressed for him today at the polls,” Kaufman said.
Kaufman stated, “The electorate showed its clear desire for the former president’s return to the Philippines and its total rejection of the Marcos government’s vain attempt to stamp out his legacy.”
On March 11, 2025, Duterte was arrested based on a warrant of arrest issued by the ICC.
He is now in the Scheveningen Prison in The Hague on charges of crimes against humanity for the extrajudicial killings during his administration’s war on drugs.
His daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, said Monday that lawyers had been discussing the next steps should he win the elections.
