Congress Officially Proclaims Marcos, Duterte as President and Vice President

Congress officially proclaimed Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. as the Philippines' 17th president yesterday, 36 years after the Filipino people ousted the Marcos family from Malacañang Palace and toppled the dictatorship during the People Power Revolution in 1986.

Bongbong is the only son and namesake of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos who ruled the country as president for two decades and whose martial law regime saw the killing, disappearance, and torture of thousands of Filipinos.

Davao City Mayor and Bongbong’s running mate Sara Duterte, daughter of incumbent President Rodrigo Duterte, was also proclaimed by Congress yesterday as the country's vice president.

Bongbong won in a staggering landslide victory with 31.6 million votes from over half of the electorate during the May 9 elections, more than double that of the votes his closest rival, Vice President Leni Robredo, garnered (around 15 million votes).

Sara, meanwhile, received 32.2 million votes or 61.33% of the total votes counted, defeating rival Senator Francis Pangilinan who garnered around 9.3 million votes.

Congress convened as the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC) on Tuesday to canvass the actual votes and was finished by Wednesday afternoon, making it the fastest vote canvassing in Philippine election history.