President Rodrigo Duterte congratulated the winning candidates and the entire Filipino nation for the successful May 9 election.

"You have my congratulations well in advance. I am hopeful that you will serve the Filipino people with all your heart and ability, and prioritize the welfare of the general public above everything," Duterte said during his Talk To The People program aired on Thursday morning.

"It was generally peaceful. I thank and congratulate the Comelec, our teachers, the military, the police and the civil society sector and of course the thousands of volunteers for all your work and handling, participation in the conduct of this year’s election," he said.

"More importantly, I thank and congratulate the Filipino people. You made the elections successful because you have made your will known by performing your sacred right and duty to vote," he added.

Duterte also expressed his gratitude to other candidates who failed to secure seats during the election.

"To the candidates who have failed to secure seats, I thank you as well for your participation in this electoral process, For those who lose. You may not have won this time but I hope that you will continue to serve our people in your capacity as leaders in your respective sectors and communities," he said.

Duterte also called on the public to continue to support and watch the Comelec until the winners of this year's election were formally proclaimed.

"As we await the final and official results of the proclamation of winners for the remaining seats, let alone continue to participate and watch over the electoral process," Duterte said.

"Once the will of the people has finally been made known, and all the winners have been officially proclaimed, we will begin the important process of transition of power to our new set of leaders," he added.

Duterte also expressed hope that the "Comelec would also find time to investigate" the glitches reported during the election.

"Just to, well, disabuse the minds of those who believe that there was cheating. I honestly did not see any and I will also not allow that there will be cheating. But still, just to satisfy the doubts of a few of them, investigate the result, let the people know what happened," he said. Robina Asido/DMS