Filipino voters on Monday handed Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. the presidency with a landslide 30 million votes, one of the biggest mandates in history.
The only son and namesake of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. emerged as the first majority president since the 1986 People Power revolution that restored democracy and ousted his father.
Marcos' rival Vice President Leni Robredo is trailing at far second with over 14 million votes.
With some 67.5 million registered voters for the 2022 elections, Marcos' 30 million votes surpassed the 27.5 million mark for a majority and double that of Robredo.
Here's how big Marcos' 30 million votes are:
Twice as many as runner-up Robredo's votes
To win the presidency, Robredo would need to double her current numbers--a testament to how large the Marcos scion's support base is.
Partial, unofficial election results also affirm opinion polls that placed Marcos as the consistent frontrunner in the presidential race.
Bigger than all the combined votes of his rivals
Even if all the votes of Marcos' rivals for the presidency were added up, he would still emerge as the presidential election winner.
Combined, the votes of the nine other presidential candidates are only over 21.5 million based on the partial, unofficial tally as of Tuesday morning. This would still place Marcos ahead by nine million.
The 2022 presidential election was a 10-way race between Marcos, Robredo, Senators Manny Pacquiao and Ping Lacson, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, labor leader Leody de Guzman, former Defense Sec. Norberto Gonzales, Faisal Mangondadato, cardiologist Jose Montemayor, and former Malacañang spokesperson Ernesto Abella.
Winner in the most vote-rich provinces
Marcos Jr. won as president in the Philippines' most vote-rich provinces namely Cebu, Cavite, Pangasinan, Laguna, and Bulacan based on the partial, unofficial tally.
Nearly double populist Duterte's 2016 votes
Marcos Jr.'s 30 million votes are nearly double President Rodrigo Duterte's 16.6 million votes in 2016. Duterte was a plurality president with some 39% share of total votes cast in 2016.
Throughout his presidency, Duterte remained popular among Filipinos based on opinion polls even as international watchdogs criticized his bloody war on drugs.
Equivalent to over five times the population of Singapore
As of 2020, Singapore has a 5.6 million population which means that Marcos' 30-million votes are equivalent to more than five times the city-state's people.
MORE ON #PHELECTIONS2022:
Where to Find Real-Time Election Results After Voting Closes
How to Prepare to Accept the May 9 Election Results
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