Duterte takes chunky lead in Philippines vote count

Manila

FIREBRAND Philippine city mayor Rodrigo Duterte took a commanding lead as unofficial presidential election results poured in on Monday, suggesting the political outsider's pledges to crush crime and corruption had carried the day.

Three hours after polling stations had closed, a rolling ballot count by an election commission-accredited watchdog showed about 40 per cent of the votes cast were in his favour. An exit poll of a small number of voters showed a similar lead. The election numbers reported by the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) had, by 1208 GMT, accounted for about 60 per cent of the 54 million registered Filipino voters.