Sara Duterte also had a formidable lead with more than 23.3 million votes for vice president in the unofficial count from the Commission on Elections server. The president and vice president are elected separately in the Philippines.
“History may repeat itself if they win,” said Myles Sanchez, a 42-year-old human rights worker. “There may be a repeat of martial law and the drug killings that happened under their parents.”
Marcos Jr., whose father was ousted in a 1986 army-backed “People Power” uprising, held a wide lead in pre-election surveys. But Robredo tapped into shock and outrage over the prospect of a Marcos recapturing the seat of power and harnessed a network of campaign volunteers to underpin her candidacy.
Officials said the election was relatively peaceful despite pockets of violence in the country’s volatile south. Thousands of police and military personnel were deployed to secure election precincts, especially in rural regions with a history of violent political rivalries.
Filipinos stood in long lines to cast their ballots, with the start of voting delayed by a few hours in a few areas due to malfunctioning vote machines, power outages, bad weather and other problems.
Eight others were in the presidential race, including former boxing star Manny Pacquiao, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno and former national police chief Sen. Panfilo Lacson.
Sanchez said the violence and abuses that marked the martial-law era under Marcos and Duterte’s drug war more than three decades later victimized loved ones from two generations of her family. Her grandmother was sexually abused and her grandfather tortured by counterinsurgency troops under Marcos in the early 1980s in their impoverished farming village in Southern Leyte province.
Under Duterte’s crackdown, Sanchez’s brother, a sister and a sister-in-law were wrongfully linked to illegal drugs and separately killed, she told The Associated Press in an interview. She described the killings of her siblings as “a nightmare that has caused unspeakable pain.”
She begged Filipinos not to vote for politicians who either openly defended the widespread killings or conveniently looked away.
Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte avoided such volatile issues in the campaign and steadfastly stuck instead to a battle cry of national unity, even though their fathers’ presidencies opened some of the Philippines’ most turbulent divisions.
“I have learned in our campaign not to retaliate,” Sara Duterte told followers Saturday night on the final day of campaigning, where she and Marcos Jr. thanked a huge crowd in a night of rap music, dance shows and fireworks near Manila Bay.
At her own rally, Robredo thanked her supporters who jammed her star-studded sorties and waged a house-to-house battle to endorse her brand of clean and hands-on politics. She asked them to fight for patriotic ideals beyond the elections.
“We’ve learned that those who have awoken will never close their eyes again,” Robredo told a crowd that filled the main avenue in the capital’s Makati financial district. “It’s our right to have a future with dignity and it’s our responsibility to fight for it.”
In Maguindanao province, a security hotspot in the south, three village guards were killed by gunmen outside an elections center in Buluan town, briefly disrupting voting. Nine would-be voters and their companions were wounded separately Sunday night when unidentified men fired five rifle grenades in the Datu Unsay town hall, police said.
Aside from the presidency, more than 18,000 government posts are being contested, including half of the 24-member Senate, more than 300 seats in the House of Representatives, as well as provincial and local offices across the archipelago of more than 109 million Filipinos.
More than 67 million people were registered to vote, including about 1.6 million Filipinos overseas.
In the 2016 contest, Duterte emerged as the clear winner within a few hours after polls closed and his key challengers quickly conceded. The vice presidential race that year was won narrowly by Robredo over Marcos Jr., and the outcome was slower to become known.
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Associated Press journalists Joeal Calupitan, Aaron Favila and Cecilia Forbes in Manila, Philippines, and Kiko Rosario in Bangkok contributed to this report.
CaptionPresidential candidate and incumbent Vice President Leni Robredo shows the ink on her finger to mark that she has finished voting at a school used as a polling center at Naga city, Camarines Sur, eastern Philippines on Monday, May 9, 2022. Filipinos were voting for a new president Monday, with the son of an ousted dictator and a champion of reforms and human rights as top contenders in a tenuous moment in a deeply divided Asian democracy. (AP Photo/Zalrian Sayat)
Credit: Zalrian Sayat
Caption Presidential candidate and incumbent Vice President Leni Robredo shows the ink on her finger to mark that she has finished voting at a school used as a polling center at Naga city, Camarines Sur, eastern Philippines on Monday, May 9, 2022. Filipinos were voting for a new president Monday, with the son of an ousted dictator and a champion of reforms and human rights as top contenders in a tenuous moment in a deeply divided Asian democracy. (AP Photo/Zalrian Sayat)
Credit: Zalrian Sayat
Credit: Zalrian Sayat
Caption Vice presidential candidate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, running mate of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. shows the ink on her finger to mark that she has finished voting in Davao City, southern Philippines on Monday, May 9, 2022. Filipinos were voting for a new president Monday, with the son of an ousted dictator and a champion of reforms and human rights as top contenders in a tenuous moment in a deeply divided Asian democracy. (AP Photo/Manman Dejeto)
Credit: Uncredited
Caption Vice presidential candidate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, running mate of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. shows the ink on her finger to mark that she has finished voting in Davao City, southern Philippines on Monday, May 9, 2022. Filipinos were voting for a new president Monday, with the son of an ousted dictator and a champion of reforms and human rights as top contenders in a tenuous moment in a deeply divided Asian democracy. (AP Photo/Manman Dejeto)
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Uncredited
Caption An election worker checks the temperature of a voter at a polling center Monday, May 9, 2022 in Quezon City, Philippines. Filipinos were voting for a new president Monday, with the son of an ousted dictator and a champion of reforms and human rights as top contenders in a tenuous moment in a deeply divided Asian democracy. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Credit: Aaron Favila
Caption An election worker checks the temperature of a voter at a polling center Monday, May 9, 2022 in Quezon City, Philippines. Filipinos were voting for a new president Monday, with the son of an ousted dictator and a champion of reforms and human rights as top contenders in a tenuous moment in a deeply divided Asian democracy. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Credit: Aaron Favila
Credit: Aaron Favila
Caption A woman adjusts her eyeglasses as she votes at a polling center Monday, May 9, 2022 in Quezon City, Philippines. Filipinos were voting for a new president Monday, with the son of an ousted dictator and a champion of reforms and human rights as top contenders in a tenuous moment in a deeply divided Asian democracy. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Credit: Aaron Favila
Caption A woman adjusts her eyeglasses as she votes at a polling center Monday, May 9, 2022 in Quezon City, Philippines. Filipinos were voting for a new president Monday, with the son of an ousted dictator and a champion of reforms and human rights as top contenders in a tenuous moment in a deeply divided Asian democracy. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Credit: Aaron Favila
Credit: Aaron Favila
Caption People vote at a school used as a polling center Monday, May 9, 2022 in Quezon City, Philippines. Filipinos were voting for a new president Monday, with the son of an ousted dictator and a champion of reforms and human rights as top contenders in a tenuous moment in a deeply divided Asian democracy. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Credit: Aaron Favila
Caption People vote at a school used as a polling center Monday, May 9, 2022 in Quezon City, Philippines. Filipinos were voting for a new president Monday, with the son of an ousted dictator and a champion of reforms and human rights as top contenders in a tenuous moment in a deeply divided Asian democracy. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Credit: Aaron Favila
Credit: Aaron Favila
Caption Presidential candidate and boxing legend, Sen. Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao votes at a school used as a polling center at Sarangani province, southern Philippines on Monday, May 9, 2022. About 67 million registered Filipino voters will pick a new president on Monday, with Ferdinand Marcos, Jr, son and namesake of the ousted dictator leading pre-election surveys, and incumbent Vice President Leni Robredo, who leads the opposition, as his closest challenger. (AP Photo)
Credit: Uncredited
Caption Presidential candidate and boxing legend, Sen. Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao votes at a school used as a polling center at Sarangani province, southern Philippines on Monday, May 9, 2022. About 67 million registered Filipino voters will pick a new president on Monday, with Ferdinand Marcos, Jr, son and namesake of the ousted dictator leading pre-election surveys, and incumbent Vice President Leni Robredo, who leads the opposition, as his closest challenger. (AP Photo)
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Uncredited
Caption An election worker helps voters find their precinct at a polling center Monday, May 9, 2022 in Quezon City, Philippines. Filipinos were voting for a new president Monday, with the son of an ousted dictator and a champion of reforms and human rights as top contenders in a tenuous moment in a deeply divided Asian democracy. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Credit: Aaron Favila
Caption An election worker helps voters find their precinct at a polling center Monday, May 9, 2022 in Quezon City, Philippines. Filipinos were voting for a new president Monday, with the son of an ousted dictator and a champion of reforms and human rights as top contenders in a tenuous moment in a deeply divided Asian democracy. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Credit: Aaron Favila
Credit: Aaron Favila
Caption People rush to enter a school used as a polling center to vote during the opening of elections on Monday May 9, 2022 in Quezon City, Philippines. About 67 million registered voters will pick a new president, with Ferdinand Marcos Jr, son and namesake of the ousted dictator, leading pre-election surveys, and incumbent Vice President Leni Robredo, who leads the opposition, as his closest challenger. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Credit: Aaron Favila
Caption People rush to enter a school used as a polling center to vote during the opening of elections on Monday May 9, 2022 in Quezon City, Philippines. About 67 million registered voters will pick a new president, with Ferdinand Marcos Jr, son and namesake of the ousted dictator, leading pre-election surveys, and incumbent Vice President Leni Robredo, who leads the opposition, as his closest challenger. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Credit: Aaron Favila
Credit: Aaron Favila
Caption Residents look for their precincts on a list posted at a polling center on Monday, May 9, 2022, in Manila, Philippines. Filipinos began voting for a new president on Monday with the son of an ousted dictator and a champion of reforms and human rights as top contenders in a tenuous moment in a deeply divided Asian democracy. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Credit: Aaron Favila
Caption Residents look for their precincts on a list posted at a polling center on Monday, May 9, 2022, in Manila, Philippines. Filipinos began voting for a new president on Monday with the son of an ousted dictator and a champion of reforms and human rights as top contenders in a tenuous moment in a deeply divided Asian democracy. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Credit: Aaron Favila
Credit: Aaron Favila
Caption Voters enter a polling center Monday, May 9, 2022 in Quezon City, Philippines. Filipinos were voting for a new president Monday, with the son of an ousted dictator and a champion of reforms and human rights as top contenders in a tenuous moment in a deeply divided Asian democracy. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Credit: Aaron Favila
Caption Voters enter a polling center Monday, May 9, 2022 in Quezon City, Philippines. Filipinos were voting for a new president Monday, with the son of an ousted dictator and a champion of reforms and human rights as top contenders in a tenuous moment in a deeply divided Asian democracy. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Credit: Aaron Favila
Credit: Aaron Favila
Caption An election worker places ink on the fingers of a man after he has finished voting at a polling center Monday, May 9, 2022 in Quezon City, Philippines. Filipinos were voting for a new president Monday, with the son of an ousted dictator and a champion of reforms and human rights as top contenders in a tenuous moment in a deeply divided Asian democracy. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Credit: Aaron Favila
Caption An election worker places ink on the fingers of a man after he has finished voting at a polling center Monday, May 9, 2022 in Quezon City, Philippines. Filipinos were voting for a new president Monday, with the son of an ousted dictator and a champion of reforms and human rights as top contenders in a tenuous moment in a deeply divided Asian democracy. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Credit: Aaron Favila
Credit: Aaron Favila
Caption An election worker places the voting receipt inside a box at a polling center Monday, May 9, 2022 in Quezon City, Philippines. Filipinos were voting for a new president Monday, with the son of an ousted dictator and a champion of reforms and human rights as top contenders in a tenuous moment in a deeply divided Asian democracy. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Credit: Aaron Favila
Caption An election worker places the voting receipt inside a box at a polling center Monday, May 9, 2022 in Quezon City, Philippines. Filipinos were voting for a new president Monday, with the son of an ousted dictator and a champion of reforms and human rights as top contenders in a tenuous moment in a deeply divided Asian democracy. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Credit: Aaron Favila
Credit: Aaron Favila
Caption Presidential candidate and incumbent Vice President Leni Robredo votes at a school used as a polling center at Camarines Sur, eastern Philippines on Monday, May 9, 2022. About 67 million registered Filipino voters will pick a new president on Monday, with Ferdinand Marcos Jr, son and namesake of the ousted dictator leading pre-election surveys, and Robredo, who leads the opposition as his closest challenger. (AP Photo/Zalrian Sayat)
Credit: Zalrian Sayat
Caption Presidential candidate and incumbent Vice President Leni Robredo votes at a school used as a polling center at Camarines Sur, eastern Philippines on Monday, May 9, 2022. About 67 million registered Filipino voters will pick a new president on Monday, with Ferdinand Marcos Jr, son and namesake of the ousted dictator leading pre-election surveys, and Robredo, who leads the opposition as his closest challenger. (AP Photo/Zalrian Sayat)
Credit: Zalrian Sayat
Credit: Zalrian Sayat
Caption Presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son of the late dictator, looks at the receipt after voting at a polling center in Batac City, Ilocos Norte, northern Philippines on Monday, May 9, 2022. Filipinos were voting for a new president Monday, with the son of an ousted dictator and a champion of reforms and human rights as top contenders in a tenuous moment in a deeply divided Asian democracy. (AP Photo)
Credit: Uncredited
Caption Presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son of the late dictator, looks at the receipt after voting at a polling center in Batac City, Ilocos Norte, northern Philippines on Monday, May 9, 2022. Filipinos were voting for a new president Monday, with the son of an ousted dictator and a champion of reforms and human rights as top contenders in a tenuous moment in a deeply divided Asian democracy. (AP Photo)
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Uncredited
Caption Presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son of the late dictator, votes at a polling center in Batac City, Ilocos Norte, northern Philippines on Monday, May 9, 2022. Filipinos were voting for a new president Monday, with the son of an ousted dictator and a champion of reforms and human rights as top contenders in a tenuous moment in a deeply divided Asian democracy. (AP Photo)
Credit: Uncredited
Caption Presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son of the late dictator, votes at a polling center in Batac City, Ilocos Norte, northern Philippines on Monday, May 9, 2022. Filipinos were voting for a new president Monday, with the son of an ousted dictator and a champion of reforms and human rights as top contenders in a tenuous moment in a deeply divided Asian democracy. (AP Photo)
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Uncredited
Caption Vice presidential candidate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, running mate of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. waves as she votes at a polling center in Davao City, southern Philippines on Monday, May 9, 2022. Filipinos were voting for a new president Monday, with the son of an ousted dictator and a champion of reforms and human rights as top contenders in a tenuous moment in a deeply divided Asian democracy. (AP Photo/Manman Dejeto)
Credit: Manman Dejeto
Caption Vice presidential candidate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, running mate of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. waves as she votes at a polling center in Davao City, southern Philippines on Monday, May 9, 2022. Filipinos were voting for a new president Monday, with the son of an ousted dictator and a champion of reforms and human rights as top contenders in a tenuous moment in a deeply divided Asian democracy. (AP Photo/Manman Dejeto)
Credit: Manman Dejeto
Credit: Manman Dejeto
Caption Voters pass by campaign posters outside a polling center Monday, May 9, 2022 in Quezon City, Philippines. Filipinos were voting for a new president Monday, with the son of an ousted dictator and a champion of reforms and human rights as top contenders in a tenuous moment in a deeply divided Asian democracy. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Credit: Aaron Favila
Caption Voters pass by campaign posters outside a polling center Monday, May 9, 2022 in Quezon City, Philippines. Filipinos were voting for a new president Monday, with the son of an ousted dictator and a champion of reforms and human rights as top contenders in a tenuous moment in a deeply divided Asian democracy. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Credit: Aaron Favila
Credit: Aaron Favila
Caption Election workers check a paper jam on a voting machine at a polling center Monday, May 9, 2022 in Quezon City, Philippines. Filipinos were voting for a new president Monday, with the son of an ousted dictator and a champion of reforms and human rights as top contenders in a tenuous moment in a deeply divided Asian democracy. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Credit: Aaron Favila
Caption Election workers check a paper jam on a voting machine at a polling center Monday, May 9, 2022 in Quezon City, Philippines. Filipinos were voting for a new president Monday, with the son of an ousted dictator and a champion of reforms and human rights as top contenders in a tenuous moment in a deeply divided Asian democracy. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Credit: Aaron Favila
Credit: Aaron Favila
Caption People wait in line to vote at a school used as a polling station in Tondo district of Manila, Philippines on Monday, May 9, 2022. About 67 million registered Filipino voters will pick a new president on Monday, with Ferdinand Marcos, Jr, son and namesake of the ousted dictator leading pre-election surveys, and incumbent Vice President Leni Robredo, who leads the opposition, as his closest challenger. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Credit: Aaron Favila
Caption People wait in line to vote at a school used as a polling station in Tondo district of Manila, Philippines on Monday, May 9, 2022. About 67 million registered Filipino voters will pick a new president on Monday, with Ferdinand Marcos, Jr, son and namesake of the ousted dictator leading pre-election surveys, and incumbent Vice President Leni Robredo, who leads the opposition, as his closest challenger. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Credit: Aaron Favila
Credit: Aaron Favila
