Are they pairing up? Roxas reveals details of talk with Duterte

Video by Noy Morcoso/INQUIRER.net

TAGUM CITY, Philippines—The morning after he met with Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II said the meeting did not touch on the 2016 presidential elections.

On the sidelines of DILG’s turnover of eight patrol jeeps to the local police here on Saturday, Roxas said his meeting with Duterte was just an encounter between two good, old friends.

“Matagal na kaming magkaibigan ni Mayor Digong. Kapag nasa Manila siya, nagkikita kami doon. Kapag nandito ako (sa Davao), nagkikita kami,” Roxas said in an interview with reporters.

(Mayor Digong (Duterte) and I have been friends for a long time. When he’s in Manila, we see each other. When I am in Davao, we see each other.)

On Wednesday night, INQUIRER.net received a photo of Roxas and Duterte’s meeting, which the DILG secretary confirmed.

“Ganun lang ‘yun, isang pagtatagpo ng dalawang matalik at matagal nang magkaibigan,” Roxas said.

(It’s purely an encounter between two good, old friends.)

He added that they talked about Duterte’s golfing hobby, his son, and Davao City, among other topics.

READ: Roxas, Duterte to meet in Davao City over terror threats

Roxas, the presumptive standard-bearer of the ruling Liberal Party, and Duterte are both potential presidential bets in the upcoming elections, figuring at third and fourth places in recent surveys.

While many LP stalwarts have convinced Roxas to announce his candidacy even without the blessing of President Benigno Aquino III, Duterte in a forum with businessmen and supporters on Thursday seemingly shut his doors on a potential presidential bid.

READ: It’s final: I’m not running–Duterte

“I’m sorry but it really won’t happen. Like I said, it is really no longer my time. I really don’t want it,” Duterte said, adding that his family has been opposing the prospect of him being elected to the top national post. IDL

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte (left) and DILG Sec. Mar Roxas in a meeting in Davao. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO