MANILA, Philippines — Asked for comment on the partial, unofficial tally, vice presidential bet Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III said he "accepts the will of the people."
As of 10:32 a.m, he is ranked third with over 8.12 million votes. The frontrunner Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio is leading by a wide margin by an estimate 31.13 million votes.
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"The people have made their choice. I accept the will of the People," Sotto said in a statement on Tuesday, the day after elections.
"We presented an alternative for a better system in governance and politics but the electorate had their minds conditioned elsewhere," he added.
Sotto, who ran alongside Sen Panfilo "Ping" Lacson, said he is glad he did not yield to any political pressure and "kept his integrity intact."
He wished godspeed to the new president and vice president.
Former senator and the son of the late dictator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., is currently leading in the presidential race at 30.55 million votes, while his archrival Vice President Leni Robredo has 14.57 million votes, according to the partial tally recorded at 9:05 a.m on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Lacson is currently at fifth place with more than 873,900 votes.
— Angelica Y. Yang