‘Sad’ Rody unable to cast vote via local absentee voting, says VP

Former president Rodrigo Duterte was unable to cast his vote on Election Day, Monday, despite efforts by his lawyers to convince the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to allow him to vote beyond the deadline for local absentee voting (LAV), his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, said.

“He wasn’t able to vote because he's not registered for [local] absentee voting. From my understanding, his lawyers tried to convince the Comelec if former president Duterte could vote outside of the absentee voting law because that's the only way for him to vote, but he's not registered,” the VP told reporters in Filipino during an ambush interview at Daniel R. Aguinaldo National High School in Davao City, shortly after casting her vote.

“Unfortunately, he was not able to exercise his right to vote this time, and I’m sure he’s sad,” she added.

The former chief executive is currently in the custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, facing charges of crimes against humanity over his administration’s bloody drug war.

He was arrested on 11 March in Manila, six days before the closing of the registration for LAV, which allows voters — primarily military and police personnel, government workers, and members of the media — to cast their ballots ahead of the 12 May polls.

LAV-registered voters were allowed to vote from 28 to 30 April. The counting of ballots began early Monday, coinciding with the midterm elections.

The 80-year-old Duterte is seeking a comeback as Davao City mayor — a post he held for decades before ascending to the presidency in 2016. He is running against his former Cabinet member, Karlo Nograles.

Nograles served as Duterte’s Cabinet Secretary and acting presidential spokesperson in 2018. Months before Duterte’s term ended, he appointed Nograles to head the Civil Service Commission in March 2022, with a term supposedly lasting until 2029. However, Nograles vacated the post in October last year to file his candidacy for Davao City mayor.

Despite being detained, Duterte remains popular and well-loved by many Filipinos, as indicated by pre-election surveys.

Nograles, running independently, said he is praying for the “best outcome” of the elections, noting that the results will be the “final determining factor.”

“What’s important is, people have a choice, our constituents have a choice. They have the right to choose. That is the essence of democracy,” he said. “At the end of the day, we need to lead Dabawenyos […] without any preference, without any color. Whoever wins should help those who need help.”

Nograles’ younger sister, PBA Rep. Margarita Nograles, is also in the race, challenging Duterte’s eldest son, Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, who is seeking a third term in Congress.

The Duterte-Nograles rivalry in Davao City has revived a long-standing political feud dating back to 1992, when the late Speaker Prospero Nograles first attempted to unseat Duterte and suffered repeated defeats in subsequent elections.

Their decades-old rivalry ended temporarily in 2015, when the Nograles family endorsed Duterte’s presidential bid, which he won.

If Karlo Nograles wins, it would mark the end of the Duterte family’s 34-year control over the Davao City mayoralty. However, if Duterte prevails, Comelec will proclaim his victory even while he remains in detention — unless he is convicted of crimes against humanity.