President Rodrigo Roa Duterte presides over a meeting with key government officials prior to his "Talk to the People" at the Malacañan Palace on March 21, 2022. King Rodriguez, Presidential Photo
MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte's birthday wish is for the May elections to be "clean, fair and honest," Malacañang said Sunday.
Acting Presidential Spokesperson Martin Andanar said Duterte, who turns 77 on Monday, will hold a "simple and quiet celebration" in Davao City.
"His birthday wish for this year is to have a clean, fair, and honest election in May 2022, as he has time and again underscored the importance of a peaceful transfer of power as part of his enduring legacy," Andanar said in a statement.
"We join all our countrymen in wishing our beloved President Rodrigo Roa Duterte a happy 77th birthday."
Andanar also thanked Duterte, "whose strong and decisive leadership and genuine compassion for every Filipino have inspired officials in government."
Duterte has yet to officially endorse a presidential candidate for the elections but the faction he supports in his party PDP-Laban recently endorsed Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the running-mate of the chief executive's daughter.
The chief executive met Marcos Jr, whom he called a "weak leader," ahead of the endorsement.