Partial and unofficial counts from the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) confirm it: former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte is once again the mayor of Davao City, a post he previously held for a total of 22 years across multiple non-consecutive terms.
Despite being detained at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Duterte won by a staggering margin, amassing 662,630 votes.
His closest rival, former Cabinet Secretary Carlo Alexei Nograles, managed only 80,852.
Now, one glaring question remains: Will the former president be running Davao from a prison cell?
Duterte is currently in ICC custody over charges of crimes against humanity, filed in relation to the thousands of extrajudicial killings committed during his administration’s bloody anti-drug campaign.
Under Philippine law, only those with final convictions are barred from holding public office. Since Duterte’s case is still under trial, he remains legally eligible to take the post.
In the meantime, his son and running mate, incumbent Vice Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, is expected to act as the city’s de facto leader. The Local Government Code of 1991 states that should the former president be disqualified, succession rules: Baste will ascend to mayoralty, while the councilor with the highest number of votes would take over as Vice Mayor.
The May 2025 elections also revealed the full extent of the Duterte dynasty’s political control over Davao. His eldest son, Paolo “Pulong” Duterte, retained his seat in Congress; his grandson, Omar Duterte, won with approximately 160,000 votes; Rodrigo Duterte II, another grandson, secured a council seat, while January Duterte, wife of Congressman Pulong Duterte, is set to join the city council as president of the Association of Barangay Captains.
Observers suggest that Duterte could attempt to govern remotely from his detention in Europe. While this has never occurred in the Philippines, similar precedents exist in other countries. In 2016, Waseem Akhtar was elected mayor of Karachi, Pakistan. Despite being in custody, he managed to lead the city with assistance from his political party.
For now, the Dutertes have secured their local stronghold, and the Philippines finds itself navigating yet another extraordinary chapter in its turbulent political history.
