The Philippine parliament on Monday proclaimed Rodrigo Duterte the nation's next president following his landslide election win this month, but he snubbed the high-profile event.
A joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate in Manila endorsed the official count of the ballots, which saw Duterte win by more than six million votes. Duterte declined to attend, remaining instead in his southern hometown of Davao.
Duterte's refusal to attend broke tradition and disappointed even some of his supporters, reinforcing the foul-mouthed politician's reputation as a maverick who is happy to offend the political establishment.
MUST READ: Should Malaysia be concerned with the Philippines' latest claim on Sabah?
MUST READ: Five keys to Duterte's Philippine presidential win
"I am not attending the proclamation. I've never attended any proclamation all my life," Duterte told reporters on the weekend in Davao, a city more than 900 kilometres (560 miles) from Manila that he has ruled as mayor for most of the past two decades.
Duterte, who won largely due to an incendiary law-and-order platform headlined by a vow to wipe out crime within six months, is due to be sworn in on June 30.
Duterte pledged to give security forces shoot-to-kill orders, and vowed that tens of thousands of criminals would die. Since the election Duterte has repeatedly encouraged police to kill drug suspects, and said he would bring back the death penalty.
Also on the campaign trail, he variously denied and acknowledged links to vigilante death squads in Davao, the biggest city in the conflict-plagued southern region of Mindanao.
PHOTOS: Philippines elections - Rodrigo Duterte's lead insurmountable
Duterte has promised to stay in Davao until his term starts, and has been holding midnight news conferences at various hotels. This has forced politicians, powerbrokers, business leaders and courtiers to fly from Manila for an audience.
He has also begun forming his cabinet from Davao, naming many regional politicians to key posts. He has also met with communist and Muslim guerrilla emissaries ahead of planned peace talks.
Duterte has said he wants to stay in Davao because he is comfortable there. He has also repeatedly expressed his disdain for spending time in Manila, which he described last week as a "dead city" that is overrun by slums.
At Monday's congressional session, Leni Robredo was declared the winner of the vice president election, narrowly edging out Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, the son and namesake of the late Philippine dictator.
Robredo, a member of outgoing president Benigno Aquino's Liberal Party, attended the event along with her family and supporters.
Highlighting the importance of the event to many in the Philippines, the ceremonies were broadcast live on national television.
In the Philippines, presidents and vice presidents are elected separately. The constitution limits them to serving a single term of six years.
AFP
Mon May 30 2016
Duterte (left) stands beside boxing icon and newly elected Senator Manny Pacquiao (right) at a meeting in Davao in southern island of Mindanao on May 28, 2017. - AFP Photo
Pelajar PhD USIM ambil ujian di sebalik runtuhan di Gaza
Pelajar PhD USIM warga Palestin nekad menjalani Ujian Kelayakan yang dijalankan secara dalam talian pada Jumaat walaupun berdepan risiko dibom tentera Zionis pada bila-bila masa.
UMNO dan BN dokong calon PH demi Kerajaan Perpaduan - Ahmad Zahid
Presiden UMNOsedar taktik pihak tertentu yang cuba melaga-lagakan parti pimpinannya dengan parti komponen Pakatan Harapan itu.
PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu saksikan pertandingan empat penjuru
Keempat-empat calon itu ialah Khairul Azhari Saut (PN), Pang Sock Tao (PH), Nyau Ke Xin (Bebas) dan Hafizah Zainudin (Parti Rakyat Malaysia).
3 maut, 5 parah nahas dua pacuan empat roda
Tiga maut, lima parah dalam kemalangan membabitkan dua kenderaan pacuan empat roda di Jalan Kuala Krai-Gua Musang kira-kira jam 12.30 pagi tadi.
Penunjuk perasaan pro-Palestin di Paris kepung universiti
Penunjuk perasaan pro-Palestin mengepung bangunan dan kawasan hadpaan Universiti Sciences Po yang berprestij di Paris pada Jumaat.
Piala Thomas: Zii Jia pamer magis tarik perhatian ramai di Chengdu
Zii Jia merekodkan kemenangan ke atas Lee Cheuk Yiu dalam aksi yang mengambil masa 45 minit menghadirkan saat-saat terbaik dalam saingan pembukaan ini.
Youth All Girls raih gangsa di Amerika Syarikat
Pasukan sorak Malaysia Youth All Girls raih gangsa di The 2024 International Cheer Union World Cheerleading Championships (ICU JWCC) di Florida, Amerika Syarikat pada Khamis.
Perkembangan proses penamaan calon PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu
Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Kuala Kubu Baharu (KKB) membuka tirai hari ini dengan bermulanya proses penamaan calon pagi tadi di Dewan Serbaguna Dan Kompleks Sukan Daerah Hulu Selangor.
Firdaus Azil ada perincian untuk dikongsikan jam ini.
Firdaus Azil ada perincian untuk dikongsikan jam ini.
Malaysia-China bincang perkukuhkan kerjasama sektor pendidikan
Malaysia dan China membincangkan inisiatif strategik bagi memperluas serta memperkukuh jalinan kerjasama sektor pendidikan tinggi antara Kuala Lumpur-Beijing sempena sambutan ulang tahun ke-50 hubungan diplomatik Malaysia-China.
Perdana Menteri ke Riyadh sempena mesyuarat khas Forum Ekonomi Sedunia
Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim akan mengadakan lawatan kerja ke Riyadh, Arab Saudi sempena mesyuarat khas forum sedunia World Economic Forum (WEF) bermula 27 hingga 29 April ini.