Presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr greets supporters as he arrives at the campaign heaquarters in Manila on May 11, 2022. Ted Aljibe, AFP
MANILA — The camp of leading presidential candidate Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. called on Filipinos to support the incoming government, following the May 9 elections.
Marcos will serve the country "regardless of your political race, color, or belief," said his spokesperson Atty. Vic Rodriguez.
"I take this opportunity to invite all Filipinos for as long as mahal ninyo ang ating bansa, kinikilala ninyo ang ating watawat, nirerespeto ninyo ang ating Saligang Batas, sumama po kayo, dinggin po ninyo, at pagbigyan yung aming mensahe at panawagan ng pagkakaisa," Rodriguez said during a press conference.
(For as long as you love our country, you acknowledge our flag, your respect our constitution, join, listen to, and give a chance to our message and appeal for unity.)
"Suportahan po natin yung mga bago nating halal nating pinuno mula pangulo hanggang doon sa pinaka-basic unit, I mean pinaka-konsehal natin sa mga munisipyo na ating hinalal noong nakaraang halalan," he added.
(Let us support our newly elected leaders, from the president down to the most basic unit, our municipal councilors.)
Marcos leads the presidential race with some 31 million votes, more than double the 14.8 million tally of his nearest rival Leni Robredo, based on partial, unofficial results gathered from about 98 percent of election returns.
Rights activists, Catholic leaders and political commentators earlier warned against returning the Marcos family to power, less than 4 decades after they were chased into exile by the 1986 "People Power" revolution.
Rodriguez said supporters of Marcos Jr. and his running mate, presumptive vice president Sara Duterte-Carpio, would hold a joint thanksgiving that would be open even for those who did not support them.
"Tapos na po yung pulitika, tapos na po yung halalan, nakapamili na po ang great majority of the Filipino people. President-elect Bongbong Marcos is the president of each and every Filipino," Rodriguez said.
(Politics, the elections are over, the great majority of the Filipino people have chosen.)
Rodriguez added that the Marcos camp would form a transition team that would help the new administration take on the reins from the current Duterte government.
However, he added that there was no official contact yet from the current administration.
"Hindi pwedeng ikaw lang ang may transition team samantala yung maglilipat ng mga alintuntunin ng pamahalaan ay wala paring nabubuong team. At kung meron man, wala pa kaming pormal at opisyal na pakikipag-ugnayan," Rodriguez said.
(You can't be the only one to have a transition team, while those who will transfer power have yet to form a team. And if there is one, we have not received any formal and official coordination.)
"Again, it will all bring back to the character and nature of the person of president-elect Bongbong Marcos. He is not one who assumes something until and unless it's there, that's the time that we will move."
Visit the ABS-CBN News Halalan results page to see the partial, unofficial tally of election returns.
— With reports from Mico Abarro, ABS-CBN News; Agence-France Presse