Benigno Aquino to be new Philippine President

Benigno Aquino was on Wednesday proclaimed the next Philippine president after securing one of the most emphatic election wins in the impoverished, corruption-prone nation's history last month, reports from Manila said.

Aquino, who formally takes office on June 30, crushed his rivals after promising to tackle the pervasive graft and grinding poverty that have long afflicted the sprawling Asian archipelago of more than 90 million people.

The 50-year-old bachelor also drew on the enormous public support for his democracy hero parents, who remain revered for their efforts in ending the 20-year dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos.

Aquino secured just over 15.2 million votes, or nearly 42 per cent of the total, according to final results released by parliament on Tuesday following the May 10 election.

Former president Joseph Estrada finished well behind in second place with nearly 9.5 million votes.

A joint session of parliament formally ratified the results and proclaimed Aquino the Philippines' 15th president. His inauguration is scheduled for the end of the month.

The rafters were packed with supporters wearing yellow, the trademark campaign colour of the Aquino family. Wearing a traditional formal shirt, Aquino arrived at parliament surrounded by family and friends and was escorted to a holding room.

Legislators from the two houses of Congress approved Aquino's election by acclamation, and Senate majority leader Juan Miguel Zubiri declared him "the duly elected president of the republic". "It is now time to heal the wounds of the election. It is time to move forward," Zubiri said earlier on ABS-CBN television.

Ironically, the 73-year-old Estrada held the record for the biggest win in recent Philippine political history when he triumphed in the 1998 elections with 39 per cent of the total vote. But the former action-movie star was ousted three years later, half-way through his term, amid allegations of corruption for which he was later convicted. "I sincerely offer my congratulations to my good friend and worthy opponent," Estrada said in a speech read by his son in Congress.

"I am confident that president-elect Aquino will fulfill his campaign promise to address the problem of corruption." For Aquino, victory is another chapter in his family's dramatic political story. His father, Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, was shot dead in 1983 at Manila airport as he returned from US exile to lead the democracy movement against Marcos.

- Asian Tribune -