Biden calls to congratulate presumptive Philippine president

MANILA, Philippines — U.S. President Joe Biden known as Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday to congratulate him over his obvious landslide victory within the Philippine presidential election, Manila’s ambassador to Washington mentioned.

Biden is among the many first world leaders to acknowledge the electoral triumph of Marcos Jr., the namesake son of the ousted dictator whose candidacy alarmed human rights activists and pro-democracy teams.

“President Biden advised him Washington is wanting ahead to working with him and cited the shared historical past of the longtime treaty allies,” Philippine Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez advised The Related Press, including the 2 spoke for greater than 10 minutes.

Marcos Jr. had greater than 31 million votes within the unofficial depend from Monday’s elections in what’s projected to be one of many strongest mandates for a Philippine president in a long time. His vice presidential operating mate, Sara Duterte, appeared to have additionally received by a landslide.

Marcos Jr. cited the lengthy sturdy relations between Manila and Washington and mentioned his administration would work to proceed constructing on that. He invited Biden to attend his inauguration on June 30 however the U.S. chief mentioned he was coping with pressing issues which will immediate him to remain within the U.S. however would ship a high-level American delegation, Romualdez mentioned by phone.

Marcos Jr.‘s declared victory Wednesday, saying his electoral triumph is a lift to democracy and promised to hunt frequent floor throughout the political divide, his spokesman, Vic Rodriguez, mentioned.

“To the world: Decide me not by my ancestors, however by my actions,” Rodriguez quoted Marcos Jr. as saying.

The election end result was an astonishing reversal of the army-backed however largely peaceable “Folks Energy” rebellion that ousted Marcos’s father in 1986 — a democratic triumph in Southeast Asia the place authoritarian regimes flourish.

Marcos Jr., 64, campaigned on a imprecise nationwide unity theme whereas avoiding unstable points in an effort hard-line leftist teams and survivors of the elder Marcos’s dictatorship likened to whitewashing of his father’s crimes. On Tuesday, he appeared overcome with feelings whereas visiting his father’s grave — which was moved to the nationwide heroes’ cemetery underneath present President Rodrigo Duterte.

A number of of Marcos Jr.’s key election rivals have conceded defeat, although the closest challenger, Vice President Leni Robredo, a human rights lawyer who ran on a promise of badly wanted reforms, has solely acknowledged his large lead. The U.S. State Division mentioned the elections and subsequent vote depend adopted worldwide requirements with none main incident.

The tabulated outcomes nonetheless should be confirmed by Congress. Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte would then begin their single, six-year time period main a Southeast Asian nation battered by the COVID-19 pandemic, wealth inequality, Muslim and communist insurgencies, and political divisions, which had been solely infected by the turbulent presidencies of their fathers.

Earlier, China congratulated the “main candidates” and the Philippines for the graceful conduct of the elections and mentioned it could work with Manila to “keep dedicated to good neighborliness and friendship” for the good thing about each nations’ individuals.

Marcos Jr. has mentioned he desires to pursue nearer ties with China, although Beijing throughout the outgoing Duterte’s presidency confirmed no willingness to compromise on their conflicting territorial claims within the South China Sea and army, fishing and different operations in these waters.