Firebrand mayor favoured as Philippines votes on presidency
By Manolo Serapio Jr and Manuel Mogato MANILA (Reuters) - Voting for a new Philippine president began on Monday with a brash challenger to the political establishment favoured to win on pledges to crush crime and corruption, while 11 people were killed in violence before voting started. The presidential race has been one of the most divisive in years, with outgoing leader Benigno Aquino and rival candidates warning of a doomsday scenario if Rodrigo Duterte, firebrand mayor of the southern city of Davao, wins and makes good on a promise to fight lawlessness with deadly force. Many voters in Manila queued for more than an hour to cast votes in a poll election officials hope will run smoothly enough for a victor to be declared in 24 hours. But there were signs it might not be plain sailing, with police saying the 11 dead included seven supporters of a mayoral candidate ambushed south of Manila and four people killed in Mindanao, a southern island roiled for years by insurgency. There were hitches with electronic voting machines, although only 64 of the 92,000 in use had malfunctioned, the service provider said. The election campaign exposed widespread disgust with the ruling elite for failing to tackle poverty and inequality, despite one of Asia's highest rates of economic growth under Aquino, an average of 6 percent a year. Tapping into that sentiment, Duterte emerged as the front runner in April by brazenly defying political tradition, much as U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has done. "If we have to go extreme, why not?" said Manila voter Jordan Manalo, 24, who said he was for Duterte, whose tough stance on crime has seen him dubbed "Duterte Harry" and "the punisher". Manalo added, "I want someone new, someone who would go beyond the usual." ANXIOUS FOR CHANGE The populist mayor's single-issue campaign chimed with popular anxiety about graft, crime and drugs, but for many his incendiary rhetoric and talk of extrajudicial killings smack worryingly of the country's authoritarian past. In an opinion column last week, Philippine writer Miguel Syjuco said Duterte's message resonated with the frustrated poor and described his "change is coming" slogan as "the exactly right message from the completely wrong messenger". Duterte said he did not want to get his hopes up. "I'm not positive," he told a scrum of reporters in Davao, after casting his vote. "I am saying to you, 'I ain't there until I'm there.'" Manuel Roxas, Aquino's favoured candidate, described the election as "the force of democracy against the force of dictatorship" and made a last-ditch plea for rivals to form an anti-Duterte alliance. But there were no takers. Regardless of who wins, most analysts expect the victor will continue Aquino's pro-growth and reform-oriented path. Philippine elections are traditionally difficult to predict, but two opinion polls last week showed Duterte had a lead of 11 percentage points over his nearest rival. Grace Poe, a senator, and Roxas are the most likely challengers. Poe's pro-poor platform has resonated among voters and she has portrayed Duterte as psychotic and immoral. "I'm confident that our fellow men will see which government has the heart that can help them," she told Reuters. Asked about the prospect of a Duterte win, Poe said, "We have to be able to accept what the majority wants." More than half of the population of 100 million is registered to vote and choose a president, vice-president, 300 lawmakers and about 18,000 local government officials. Jostling for office with politicians are business chiefs, celebrities and global boxing icon Manny Pacquiao, who is running for the Senate. "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., the son and namesake of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, is contesting the vice presidency. (Additional reporting by Neil Jerome Morales in Davao and Karen Lema in Manila; Writing by John Chalmers and Martin Petty)
