Free Republic

Exit polling of overseas Filipino voters are suggesting hardline mayor Rodrigo Duterte will be elected the country's president in today's vote. Key points: Duterte has between 52 and 85 per cent of vote in overseas exit polls Davao mayor promises voters "comfortable life" under his rule Critics voice concerns over Duterte's past Result could be known as early as Monday night, officials say The polls show Mr Duterte way in front of his nearest rivals, the moderate candidates Grace Poe and Manuel "Mar" Roxas. He has between 52 to 85 per cent of the vote in 15 countries where exit...

The outspoken city mayor who is the front-runner in the Philippine presidential race drew the largest crowd Saturday as the candidates held their final rallies, despite efforts by the president to block his election bid over fears he could threaten the country's democracy. After crisscrossing the archipelago nation, the five presidential candidates, led by Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, converged in the vote-rich capital Manila as three months of bruising campaigning came to an end ahead of Monday's election. About 300,000 people turned up at Duterte's rally at a historic grandstand by Manila Bay where presidential inaugurations have been held, according to...

The Philippines has its own version of Donald Trump, and he’s campaigning as hard for the presidency of the Philippines as is Trump in the U.S. He’s shouting out controversial charges and claims about as often as Trump, and he’s about the same age. The difference is that Rodrigo Duterte, the 70-year-old mayor of Davao, the country’s fourth largest city and largest on the strife-torn large southern island of Mindanao, is a long-time politico with a reputation for brutality whereas Trump is a real estate tycoon whose tough talk may or may not translate into deeds. While Trump was building...