Duterte may surpass Aquino, Estrada vote records, says analyst

A political analyst on Monday night said Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte may surpass the voting record of the most popular presidents in recent history namely President Benigno Aquino III (PNoy) and former President Joseph Estrada.

"With 60 percent of votes almost counted, I think its almost safe to say na mananalo si Mayor Digong (Duterte)," Richard Javad Heydarian, political science professor at De La Salle University, told Mike Enriquez, Mel Tiangco, and Vicky Morales in GMA News' Eleksyon 2016 special coverage.

"Ang question lang dito gaano ka large yung kanyang mandato. Ang kutob namin this could be between 40-45 percent. If he goes to 45 percent eto yung pinakamataas ever for any presidential candidate," Heydarian added.

As of 9:16pm Monday, Duterte has 11,510,550 votes followed by Grace Poe with 6,534,240 and Mar Roxas with 6,459,788.

Heydarian said Aquino got 42 percent of the total votes cast for president in the 2010 elections while Estrada got 38 percent in 1998.

Records show that of the 35.1 million votes cast in the 2010 elections, Aquino of the Liberal Party got 15.2 million or 42.08 percent of the total while his closest rivals, deposed president Estrada of Pwersa ng Masa and former Senate president and Speaker Manuel Villar of the Nacionalista Party got 9.4 million (26.25 percent) and 5.5 million (15.42 percent) respectively.

In the 1998 elections were 26.9 million votes were cast, Estrada of the Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino got 10.7 million or 39.86 percent while former Speaker Jose de Venecia of Lakas-Kampi and the late former senator Raul Roco of Aksyon Demokratiko got 4.26 million (15.87 percent) and 3.7 million (13.33 percent) respectively.

The most popular in history -- if the number of votes cast is to serve as basis -- would be President Ramon Magsaysay of the NP who in the 1953 elections got 2.9 million of the 4.2 million votes cast or 68.90 percent. Reelectionist Elpidio Quirino of the Liberal Party only got 1.3 million or 31.08 percent.

"Mukhang si Digong malalampasan pa niya yung mga previous records. We saw how the 40 percent gave PNoy a very strong mandate to push more reforms against corruption and other ill-governance issues," Heydarian said.

"So Digong will come to office with even more political mandate," he added. — John Ted Cordero/APG, GMA News