Dureza meets Fil-Am critic of Duterte

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus DurezaARNOLD ALMACEN/INQUIRER

Presidential peace adviser Jesus Dureza said he and Filipino-American businesswoman Loida Nicolas-Lewis, who was linked by Malacañang to a supposed plot to oust the President Duterte, held a meeting and reached “a middle ground” to advance the country’s interests.

Dureza posted a photo of himself with Lewis after their meeting last Thursday, saying in a caption that he had a “good warm chat” with the “famous Filipina” at the Philippine Consulate General in New York City.

He said they had a “lively, animated exchange on President Duterte.”

“Ultimately, it is the interest of the country that is moving all of us in our individual advocacies. It seems we have arrived at a middle ground after we listened to each other with [consul general] Tess De Vega in attendance. Thanks, Ma’am Loida,” Dureza said in his post. He did not elaborate.

He said he had sought the meeting with Lewis, but did not represent the government in his talks with her.

Malacañang earlier cited Lewis’ call for Mr. Duterte to step down as one of the reasons he said the “yellows” were planning to oust him.

Lewis, an archcritic of Mr. Duterte, had campaigned for Liberal Party presidential bet Mar Roxas and running mate Leni Robredo during the May 2016 elections. Robredo has been forced to resign from the Duterte Cabinet.

According to Dureza, Lewis was more concerned about an earlier statement by Mr. Duterte who reportedly said that if Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. were to be the Vice President, he would step down so the former senator could take over the presidency.

Marcos has a pending election protest against Robredo.

Dureza said he told Lewis he had heard no such thing.

“In fairness, I don’t think this President will relinquish anything to any other person, whether it’s Bongbong and Leni Robredo, on a silver platter. He was elected by the people, he is needed,” he said in the interview which he shared on his Facebook page.

He also said he told Lewis that she could have misinterpreted what she had read about what the President said.

Dureza said that as peace adviser, he talks to everybody, including those against the President.