Daily News Highlights – May 11, 2016 Edition

President Benigno Aquino III has called the staff of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to prepare for the transition process to the administration of the presumptive president. Duterte’s executive assistant Christopher “Bong” Go said on Tuesday, May 10, that Aquino is intending to issue an Executive Order to facilitate the transition process. Duterte, meanwhile, has instructed select members of his team to help choose members of his Cabinet. Duterte’s spokesman said the transition committee will be composed of 5 key advisers, who will coordinate with Malacañang for transition preparations and the inauguration of the presumptive president. 

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The United States said on Tuesday, May 10, that it was looking forward to working with the next Philippine president. Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has claimed victory in the May 9 polls after clinching at least 15.8 million votes as of the latest unofficial tally. “Washington respects the choice of the Philippines’ people. We will gladly work with the leader they’ve selected,” State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said. Trudeau did not comment on Duterte’s previous controversial statements, which have caused a stir in diplomatic circles. Just weeks before the polls, Duterte drew flak for a rape comment involving a murdered Australian missionary. After US and Australian ambassadors criticized his comments, Duterte threatened to break ties with the US. On Tuesday, he said it was up to US officials to repair relations with him.

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The Liberal Party’s standard-bearer Mar Roxas concedes to Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. In a speech before supporters on Tuesday, May 10, Roxas wished Duterte success, and urged Filipinos to respect the outcome of the polls and to unite for the sake of the country. At the time of his speech, Roxas ranked second in the presidential race, obtaining 9,249,813 votes, compared to Duterte’s 15,342,569 votes. Roxas’ concession comes a day after presidential candidate Grace Poe also bowed out of the race. But the administration candidate also noted that his running mate, Leni Robredo, remains locked in a tight vice presidential race, which she is currently leading.

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Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr said he would not concede the vice presidential race, where he remains locked in a close fight with the administration candidate Leni Robredo. Marcos, who led the tally in the early hours after polls closed, said Robredo’s catching up and her overtaking him in the rankings amount to “strange developments.” He added, “It was a very measured increase in the votes that doesn’t seem to follow what our internal surveys are saying.” Marcos has accused Robredo and the ruling coalition of shaving and padding votes, an accusation that Robredo has denied and branded as “unfair.” Robredo also said that she would not yet claim victory until all votes are counted.

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Fitch Ratings said the outcome of the Philippine elections won’t have an immediate impact on the coutry’s minimum investment grade credit rating and stable outlook. In April, Fitch gave the Philippines a “BBB-” rating with a positive outlook, noting the country’s strong net external creditor position, declining general government debt and deficit levels, and positive growth momentum. Sagarika Chandra, an associate director of Fitch Ratings’ Sovereigns team, said the Philippines’ underlying economic fundamentals remains a strength. Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is poised to win the presidency, but there have been some concerns about the impact of a Duterte presidency on the Philippine economy, as Duterte failed to present a detailed economic plan to business leaders during his campaign.

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Police and military said the elections in Cagayan de Oro and in the rest of Region 10 were generally peaceful, despite several incidents. The Philippine Army’s 4th Infantry Division commander Major General Benjamin Madrigal Jr said on Tuesday, May 10, that the polls were generally orderly as people cast their ballots. In Northern Mindanao, at least 7 election-related incidents were recorded, including the murder of an independent mayoral candidate in Lantapan, Bukidnon. But law enforcement officials said they are not letting their guard down as the canvassing of votes continue.

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Poll watchdog Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting said most of the complaints it recorded on election day were about the vote-counting machines (VCMs). Voters complained of faulty machines, which delayed the voting process; VCMs that abruptly shut down; paper jams in the ballot scanning and receipt printing; erroneous printing on voting receipts; over-heating VCMs; and failure to transmit election returns. Malacañang, meanwhile, said the technical glitches encountered during election day were “very negligible.”

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US president Barack Obama is set to make a historic visit to Hiroshima later this month, making him the first sitting US president to do so. The White House, however, said that Obama will not make an apology for the controversial US attack on the Japanese city. In 1945, the US military dropped the world’s first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, killing around 140,000 people. It later dropped a plutonium bomb on the city of Nagasaki, killing some 74,000 people. The White House said Obama will be accompanied by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on May 27 for the visit, which it described as an effort to stress the US commitment “to pursuing the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons.”

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A US warship on Tuesday, May 10, sailed close to the disputed South China Sea reef which China has built up into an artificial island, irking Beijing. Guided-missile destroyer USS William P. Lawrence navigated within 12 nautical miles of the Fiery Cross Reef, which is occupied by China but also claimed by Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines. The Pentagon said the US operation “challenged attempts by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam to restrict navigation rights around the features they claim.” It is the third “freedom of navigation” operation by the US in the disputed waters. Beijing confirmed the operation and said the warship illegally entered waters near the islands without the permission of the Chinese government.

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The US government has suspended tens of millions of dollars worth of funding to organizations providing aid for Syria, after it discovered that several charities were systematically overpaying goods in Turkey with the collusion of staff members. At least 14 entities and individuals involved with aid programs in Turkey have been suspended, the US Agency for International Development (USAID)’s independent government auditor said. USAID added that it found a network of “commercial vendors, NGO employees, and others who have colluded to engage in bid-rigging and multiple bribery and kickback schemes related to contracts to deliver humanitarian aid in Syria.” Sources told Agence-France-Presse that the International Medical Corps, the Irish charity Goal, and the International Rescue Committee were among the affected charities.

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