Duterte congratulates Macron, eyes better relations with France

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday congratulated France’s former Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industry Emmanuel Macron for winning the presidency against Marine Le Pen, the candidate of far-right political party National Front.

“President Rodrigo Roa Duterte extends his congratulations to Emmanuel Macron on his election as President of France,” presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement to reporters.

“France is one of the biggest trading partners of the Philippines in the European Union (EU), and we look forward to working with the incoming Macron administration to enhance PH-FR bilateral relations,” he added.

Reuters reported that Macron got 66 percent of the votes while Le Pen received 34 percent.

Le Pen promised to follow the United Kingdom and remove France from the EU, while centrist Macron campaigned to stay in the EU.

Macron, 39, is the youngest French leader since Louis Napoleon Bonaparte. — TJD, GMA News