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THURSDAY May2:,2019 I
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tens gri ponp OWer'l PH polls
tious plans. political analyst Rarnon Casiple iaid
The results open a path for Duterte With nine Dutefle backeis ald three
- rom inrlry unaligned politiciarrs Lal'ng
who ha. remarkably high approval IaLing:
to make good on his call to bling back the 12 seats at stake in the 24-member
-
death penalty and advance his project to Senate, orly four opposition members
leivrite the Conslitutiotr. will reinain, results from the elections
'lt's a clear signal that the people will authority showed.
be behind him as he pushes bills and Dutefte allies kept control ofthe:loiver
processes that went nowhele previously," )-il{**;i !:*ac} lr*aq9 A2

X TIGHTENS FROM A1
Duterte tiglitens grip
House of Representatives, which
has approved legislation to bring
back capital punishment and
rewrite the Constitution since
Duterte's 2016 election.
Senators proclaimed
Officially proclairned by the Com-
mission on Elections (Comelec)
on \{/ednesday were C}'nthia Vil-
lar, rvho topped the polls with
25,27 3,727 votes, Mary Grace
Poe Llamanzares (22,029,7 88),
Christopher Lawrence 'Bong' Go
(20,657,702), Pilar |uliana "Pia"
Ca1'euno (19,789,01 9), Ronaldo
"Bato" dela Rosa (19,004,225),
Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara
(18,161,862), Manuel "Lito" Lapid
(16,965,464), Maria fosefa tmelda
"lmee" Marcos (15,882,628), Fran-
cis Tolentino (15,510,026), Aq-
uilino Manin "Koko" Pimentel
3rd (14,668,665), Ramon "Bong"
Revilla lr. (14,624,445) and Maria
Lourdes Nancy Binay (14,504,936).
All but Poe Lapid and Binay
rvere backed by the administra-
tion. Those in the first six spots will
get six-year terms up to lune 30,
2025, while the rest will have to
seek reelection when the Duterte
adminisfation bows out in 2022.
They will join current Senate
President Vicente "Tito" Sotto
3rd and Senators Richard "Dick"
Cordon, Emrnanuel "Manny"
Pacquiao, fuan Miguel "Migz"
Zubiri, Panfilo "Ping" Lacson Jr.,
Ana Theresia "Risa" Hontiveros,
Franciso "Kiko' Pangilinan, Frank-
lin Drilon, Emmanuelloel Mllan-
ueva, Sherwin 'Win" Gatchalian
and Ralph Recto when the 18th
Congres akes of6ce in luly.
Chamber to stay
independent
Amid daims thatthe administration
win would lead to a rubber-stamp
Senatg the incoming legislators
pledged to remain independent,
particularly Go who was Duterte's
former special assistant.
"Of course, I will be indepen-
dent, but Iwill [alsol support the
legislative agenda of President
Duterte because I know that he
is doing the right thing," Co rold
Ieporters.in an ambush interview.
In a statement, Co said his leg-
islative priorities would revolve
around health, the continuation
,of Dutene's drive against corrup-
tion, criminality and illegal drugs,
and the creation of a department
focused on overseas Filipino
workers. Also on the agenda is
the postponement of nert year's
barangay eled.ions to give village
officials more time to implement
their programs,
Villar, who ran under tlie Na-
cionalista Party, said she would
always remain independent even
as she thanked Duterte for includ-
ing her as a guest candidate of
the ruling Partido Demokratiko
Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayzn party.
Angara, meanwhile, said: "We
want to help the President suc-
ceed. We want to help the people
also, but they erpect independence
from the senators."
\\ FRaAT lc'\q6
'We will never be a rubber stamp
of Malacaf,ang. Never," he added.
All i2 winning senators
present dudng the proclamation
were
at the Philippine International
Convention Center in Pasay City.
' Tolenlino \4ias'flnt to atrive,-
while Cayeano was last. Except
for Go and dela Rosa, all were
accompanied by family members.
Fears renewed
Opponents, meanwhile, fear the
majority would allow Duterte
to push forward his legislative
agenda, which includes rewriting
the Constitution. I The Comelec also proclaimed
l$ addtion to opening avenues
for him to stay in power beyond
his legally mandated single term
that ends in 2022, a charter
change could reshape the Philip-
pines for decades.
Dutefie has pitched constitution-
al reform to tum the Asian country
into decentralized federal republic,
a Probinsiyano, lPacman, Marino,
where regions would have the power
to fix local problems.
Vadous initiatives launched in
his first three years in office have
also included proposals dropping
term limits, allowing him to run
for another term and weakening
checks on presidential power
'The pessimistic assessment
that what we're looking towards
is the complete transformation
ofthe Philippine political system
in the yean to comg well beyond
2022 when Duterte's term is sup-
posed to end," political analyst
Richard Heydarian said.
Crushing defeat
The landslide victory was a crush-
t,
ing defeat for the opposition, leav-
ing it mostly in disanay.
"Voters were unable to relate
to the issues highlighted by the
opposiiion in the election, which
was all about defeating Dutene,"
Casible $did. '' '
The pio-Dut3rte electoral tsu-
nami was also a win for the
Duterte family.
Daughter Sara, touted as a pos-
sible 2022 presidential candidate,
retained her post as mayor of the
southem city of Dar,ao, with sibling
Sebastian winning as vice-mayor,
The eldest son, Paolo, won a seat in
the House of Representatives.
51 winning party-list groups that
will occupy 61 seats at the House
of Reprcs€ntatives.
A total of 134 party-list goups
participated in the midterm elections.
Paftylist groups ACT-CIS and
Bayan Muna got three seats each,
while Ako Bikol, CIBAC, Ang
and Probinsiyano Ako got two
seats each.
The 43 others that got one seat
each are Senior Citizens, Magsa-
sakd, APEC, Gabriela, An Waray,
Coop-Natcco, ACT Teachers, Phil-
reca, Ako Bisaya, Tingog Sini-
rangan, Abono; Buhay, Dutene
is Youth, Kalinga, PBA, Alona, Reco-
boda, BH (Bagong Henerasyon);
Bahay, CWS, Abang Lingkod, A
Teacher; BHW Sagip, TUCP, Mag-
dalo, GP, Manila Teachers, RAM,
Anakalusugan, Ako Padayon,
Aambis-OWA, Kusug Tausug,
Dumper PIDA, TGP, Patrol, Amin,
Agap, LPGMA, OFW Family, Ka-
bayan, Diwa and Kabataan.
AFP WITH A REPORT FROM
WILTIAM B. DEPASUPIT