Aquino-Duterte tête-à-tête set at Palace

President-elect Rodrigo Duterte’s allies meet with President Benigno Aquino III in Malacanang on June 16, 2015. In the photo are Duterte’s special assistant Christopher Go, incoming Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, incoming secretary to the cabinet Leoncio Evasco Jr. PHOTO FROM CHRISTOPHER GO

PRESIDENT Aquino on Friday said he and incoming President Rodrigo Duterte are likely to meet and talk before the latter takes his oath as the country’s 16th President at Malacañang on June 30.

“I understand in his inauguration we will probably have a short conversation prior to his taking the oath and I was reserving, and I guess he was also reserving, all of the points that we would like to raise with each other assuming it pushes through,” Mr. Aquino told reporters.

The outgoing President and Duterte had a brief phone conversation on Thursday, the first time they had spoken since the Davao City mayor won by a landslide in the May 9 elections.

Pleasant conversation

The two leaders had a “pleasant” conversation, no matter how short it was.

“It was about a minute or so wherein I congratulated him,” President Aquino said. “I think we asked each other how we were and I reiterated the offer to be of assistance, in any and every manner that they need it. And more or less, it was a pleasant conversation. That’s how it ended.”

The President said he felt that his successor appreciated his offer and even thanked him for it.

“I told him that we are ready to help now with the transition and even after because we don’t have to reinvent the wheel, so to speak,” Mr. Aquino said.