Complaint alleges coordinated foreign-backed efforts to amplify pro-Duterte content, with 15 candidates among supposed beneficiaries.

A Philippine midterm election may have leaned in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr's favour but the stronger-than-expected showing for estranged vice president and bitter rival Sara Duterte may have given him a jolt,

The former president's win was expected, but other races in the midterms proved less predictable.

The Duterte factor did not work in Bohol province this time around. All candidates endorsed by Vice President Sara Duterte lost in the May 12 midterm elections. Duterte personally endorsed local candidates during her visit to the province on April 28.

Allies of Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte are outperforming in the early count for the Senate election, an unexpected setback for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that boosts his deputy’s chances of surviving an upcoming impeachment trial and remaining eligible to run for the presidency in 2028.

Rodrigo Duterte’s unexpected victory in Davao has ignited nationwide outrage as opposition groups take to the streets, questioning the legitimacy of the results. Protesters and political critics are calling Duterte’s win a threat to Philippine democracy,