Iron-fisted mayor looks set to be next president of Philippines

MANILA — A brash and tough-talking mayor who has pledged to end crime within six months looked set to become the next president of the Philippines after taking an unassailable lead in an unofficial vote count in Monday’s elections.

“We can call it now because the gap got so big relative to the maximum the No. 2 can get” of the remaining votes, said William Yu of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting.

Starting as an outsider, Duterte built his popularity with radical pledges to eliminate poverty and end corruption and crime.

Statements such as that have won him the nickname “Duterte Harry,” a reference to the Clint Eastwood movie character “Dirty Harry” who had little regard for rules.

Outgoing President Benigno Aquino III tried to discourage Filipinos from voting for Duterte over fears the mayor may endanger the country’s hard-fought democracy and squander economic gains of the last six years, when the Philippine economy grew at an average of 6.2 percent, one of the best rates in Asia.

In the vice presidential race, Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son of the former dictator who ruled the Philippines from 1972 until he was ousted in 1986 in a “people power” revolt, led with 12.6 million votes in the unofficial count.