Some 33 percent of the voters said they would vote for Duterte in the final pre-election survey conducted by Social Weather Station. The country's renowned polling body carried out the survey from May 1 to 3 through face-to-face interviews with 4,500 validated voters nationwide with a sampling error margin of 1 point.

The 71-year-old mayor is known to have made Davao one of the safest cities in the Philippines through tough regulations and iron-fist approach in crime fighting.

During the presidential campaign period, he vowed to wipe out corruption, drugs and criminality in three to six months if he wins the election.

His aggressive behavior and offensive language won him a lot of supporters, but aroused concerns and controversy as well.

Candidate Grace Poe held a press conference in Quezon city, Manila at around 00:05 am Tuesday, conceding to Duterte.

Expressed her gratitude to her supporters, Poe said that she and her team had never lost faith.

The female candidate said she had tried her best during the campaign period.

Poe also said she would serve as senator for three more years, fighting for rule of law and democracy as she always did.

Some 55 million Filipinos were registered to vote and the voter turnout reached a record high of 81.62 percent, according to the Commission of Elections.

The candidate who gets the most votes wins the election.