MANILA, June 25 (Xinhuanet) -- Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has received congratulations from US President George W. Bush after she was proclaimed by the congress Thursday as winner in last month's elections.

    The White House congratulated Arroyo for the election victory and Filipinos for the successful conclusion of the presidential election, the ABS-CBN news channel reported Friday.

    "We understand that some participants in the political process have raised questions about the results of the May 10 election," the news channel quoted Bush spokesman Scott McClellan as saying in a statement.

    "We commend the people of the Philippines for making use of established legal mechanisms and rejecting extra-legal options forresolving their differences," the statement added.

    The Philippine congress early Thursday proclaimed Arroyo the winner of the May 10 presidential elections, ending a divisive vote canvass.

    The final result of the congressional canvassing Sunday showed that Arroyo won the presidential election with 12,905,808 votes compared to the 11,782,232 votes garnered by her closest rival, Fernando Poe Jr..

    Arroyo, 57, is scheduled to take the oath of office June 30 although it was unclear whether Poe would challenge the result at the Supreme Court.

    Arroyo's government has been a staunch US ally and was among the first of leaders to express her support for the US-led war on Iraq.

    The Philippines was a former US colony. Enditem