WATCH: American couple wish granted taking a Photo with Presiden-elect Rodrigo Duterte in Davao City

We were about to give up,' American national Candace Piercy says after getting a photo with Philippine President-elect Rodrigo Duterte past 1 am on Saturday.

WAITING FOR DUTERTE. Behind Stephen and Candace Piercy is Jacky's Resto Cafe, where President-elect Rodrigo Duterte was meeting with key personalities until past midnight on June 18, 2016. The Piercy couple patiently wait outside the restaurant to have their photo taken with Duterte. 

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – For more than an hour, American couple Stephen and Candace Piercy patiently sat outside a hotel restaurant in Davao City late Friday evening, June 17, to get a most unforgettable souvenir from the Philippines.

Like dozens of others who flocked to Hotel Elena that night, the Piercy couple wanted a photo with Philippine President-elect Rodrigo Duterte.

Duterte was in Jacky’s Resto Cafe in Hotel Elena on Friday to meet with leadersof the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Moro National Liberation Front.

Stephen was clutching a camera all the while. He and Candace were seated a few steps away from the entrance of Jacky’s Resto Cafe, facing a closed door with the sign, "Exclusive Function."

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Asked why they wanted a photo with Duterte, Candace told Rappler, "We would just like to have a souvenir to show our family and friends."

"We do have some Filipino friends in the US," she added.

The couple, however, didn’t have any appointment with Duterte, who has been receiving guests such as foreign ambassadors in Davao City. Neither did they know anyone from the Duterte camp. They just happened to see Duterte in their hotel, and thought of having their photo taken.