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Election officials have said there was a record turnout at polling stations
Hardline anti-crime candidate Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte looks set to become president of the Philippines after polls gave him an unassailable lead.
Mr Duterte, who stirred controversy during campaigning with his incendiary comments, said he accepted the apparent mandate with “extreme humility”.
An accredited poll monitor said he led with most ballots counted, but this does not represent an official result.
The 71-year-old credited his success to his tough stance on law and order.
His record as the crime-crushing mayor of the southern town of Davao, once notorious for its lawlessness, earned him the moniker The Punisher and resonated with voters.
Other driving issues of the election campaign were pervasive corruption, as well as the poverty and inequality experienced by many Filipinos despite economic growth under outgoing President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino.
Analysis: Jonathan Head, BBC News, Manila
Rodrigo Duterte, a man dubbed by his rivals as an executioner who would being terror to the Philippines, has won the presidency by a clear margin, polling nearly twice as many votes as his nearest rivals.
But what is less clear is what he will do with the job. His blunt promise to sweep away criminals and corrupt officials won him the backing of millions of Filipinos weary of ineffective governments.
But he has so far offered few policy details. A spokesman has already pledged a radical overhaul of the political system. Human rights groups have warned he may repeat what happened in the southern city of Davao, where as mayor he is accused of allowing death squads to murder hundreds of alleged criminals.
Mr Duterte has a formidable task in a country still hampered by poverty and poor infrastructure – just meeting the lofty expectations he raised during his campaign will be hard enough.
BBC