It’s Aquino-Binay

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

MANILA, Philippines—It’s official. It’s final.

As widely expected, Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III of the Liberal Party won the presidential election by a landslide, results of the final tabulation by Congress show. (See tally)

Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay of PDP-Laban defeated Sen. Manuel Roxas II, ending the cliffhanger in the vice presidential race.

Aquino and Binay are scheduled to be proclaimed Wednesday at the Batasang Pambansa complex in Quezon City.

A 50-year-old bachelor and economics graduate, Aquino will officially become the country’s 15th president on June 30. He will replace President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who ran and won a House seat after a turbulent nine-year rule.

Aquino’s victory reflected the public’s longing to fill a moral vacuum in a country plagued by corruption, poverty and violence. For many voters, it’s been nearly a quarter century of disappointment since his mother President Cory Aquino helped restore democracy in the country in 1986.

Aquino’s father, Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr., was shot to death in 1983 while in military custody on the tarmac of Manila’s airport as he returned from US exile to challenge the dictator Ferdinand Marcos. The killing sparked the massive protests that led to Marcos’ downfall.

With little legislative record to speak of, Aquino has emphasized his clean public image.

His campaign was replete with poignant symbols of the 1986 revolt—yellow ribbons, pro-democracy anthems and raised hands flashing the L-sign for “Laban,” or fight in Tagalog, drawing huge crowds everywhere he barnstormed.

Full story here.