Palace on Sara Duterte allegedly seeking meeting with Marcos: No info

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Monday did not confirm circulating reports about Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged request for a private meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

However, it noted that the president is always open to speaking with anyone who wants to have a dialogue with him.

At a briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said she has no personal knowledge about these reports.

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The Office of the Vice President, on the other hand, is yet to confirm or deny the matter.

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READ: Does Marcos want to make peace with Dutertes? ‘Yes, I don’t like conflicts’

“We cannot confirm anything regarding that, as no information has been relayed to us about whether such an event is actually taking place. So, for now, we have nothing to confirm,” said Castro.

Calling it a “hypothetical question,” the Palace official also responded to the inquiry on whether Marcos is willing to speak with Duterte if she ever requests a meeting.

“The president stated in his very first podcast that he is open to dialogue with anyone, including those who might disagree with him, to foster a better understanding,” Castro responded.

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“This is not directed specifically to the vice president, to avoid any further misinterpretation or misunderstanding regarding the responses given today,” she added.

READ: Palace: No ‘Oplan Romanov’ justifies assassination threat vs Marcos

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In Episode 1 of the BBM Podcast, which aired in May 2025, Marcos said he is open to making peace with the Dutertes.

Journalist Anthony Taberna, the host, asked Marcos later in the program whether the chief executive was willing to reconcile with the Dutertes.

Marcos responded, “Yes. I don’t like conflicts. What I want is to get along with everyone.”

“It’s better… I already have a lot of enemies. I don’t need more. What I need are friends,” he told Taberna.

Marcos and Duterte ran under the UniTeam banner in the 2022 national elections.

But their political alliance was fractured, and this became visible after Duterte resigned from her post as education secretary in June 2024.

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In an online press conference in November 2024, Duterte said she had instructed someone to assassinate Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, if ever she would be killed. /apl