Duterte cries at parents’ tombs, asks for help to lead nation

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, the candidate leading the presidential race, visited his parents' tombs early Tuesday and wept, GMA Davao reported.

Duterte went to the Wireless Cemetery at 3 a.m. and stood before the tombs of his father Vicente and mother Soledad before bending over his mother's tomb to cry.

The mayor, who is known to be close to his mother, asked for her help to lead the nation.

DAVAO CITY—Leading presidential bet @RRD_Davao cries while visiting his parents' grave. #Eleksyon2016 pic.twitter.com/EMYUWF7PbE

— GMA News Breaking (@gmanewsbreaking) May 9, 2016

Duterte said he has long wanted to cry but he was very busy campaigning.

He was accompanied to the cemetery by his partner Honeylet Avanceña and their daughter Veronica.

The mayor also lit candles at his parents' tombs before he greeted the residents living nearby who were there.

Duterte went to the cemetery after a television interview with Pastor Apollo Quiboloy of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The Name Above Every Name church founded in Davao.

As of 6 a.m. Tuesday, live partial and unofficial results coming directly from the transparency server of the Commission on Elections and posted on GMA News Online showed Duterte with 14,977,988 votes.

He was followed by Mar Roxas with 8,982,664 votes and Sen. Grace Poe at 8,398,864 votes. —KG, GMA News