Manuel Roxas, the grandson of a former president and the favoured candidate of outgoing President Benigno Aquino, described the election as "the force of democracy against the force of dictatorship". The election campaign exposed widespread disgust with the Southeast Asian country's ruling elite for failing to tackle poverty and inequality despite years of robust economic growth. Tapping into that sentiment, Rodrigo Duterte, mayor of the southern city of Davao, emerged as the front runner by brazenly defying political tradition, much as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has done in the United States. Jordan Manalo, a 24-year-old hotel employee in Manila who was queuing to cast his ballot, said he was for Duterte. "The message resonates with the frustrated poor who feel let down by the government, but his fans span all classes."

Source: The Star May 09, 2016 03:07 UTC