Malacañang said it could not confirm reports that Vice President Sara Duterte had sought a private meeting with President Marcos, but stressed that the President remains open to dialogue with anyone.

Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro said this following rumors over the weekend that Duterte had requested a private meeting with Marcos for a possible modus vivendi, or a temporary arrangement or compromise so conflicting groups could coexist peacefully.

In a press briefing on Monday, Aug. 17, Castro said the Palace had received no information confirming that Duterte had made such a request.

“Wala po tayong makukumpirma patungkol po diyan dahil wala naman din pong ibinababa sa atin na anumang impormasyon kung mayroon ngang ganiyang kaganapan (We cannot confirm anything about that because no information has been relayed to us that such an event took place),” she said.

Asked whether Marcos would be inclined to grant such a request if it were made, Castro said the question was hypothetical but recalled the President’s earlier statement that he was willing to talk to those who disagreed with him.

She said Marcos had made clear that he was open to communicating with anyone in the interest of reaching a better understanding, while cautioning against interpreting the statement as being specifically directed at Duterte.

“Sa lahat ng kababayan natin, sa lahat ng tao ay open ang Pangulo (The President is open to everyone, to all people),” Castro said.

The reported meeting request came as the political relationship between Marcos and Duterte remains sharply strained after the two ran together under the UniTeam banner and won the 2022 presidential and vice presidential elections by a landslide.

Their alliance began to unravel within two years, with disputes over political leadership, confidential funds, and supposed grave threats, among others.

Vice President Duterte resigned as education secretary in June 2024, saying the UniTeam that brought them to power in 2022 no longer existed because they were no longer candidates running for public office.

By September that year, Duterte said she and President Marcos were not friends and had only become acquainted because they were running mates, a remark that prompted Marcos to say he was “a little dismayed” and may have been deceived about their relationship.

The political break has since moved into formal proceedings, with Duterte now facing an impeachment trial before the Senate over allegations including misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth, and grave threats against Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

The grave threats allegation stems from Duterte’s public remarks in November 2024 that she had instructed someone to kill Marcos, the First Lady, and Romualdez if she were killed, which she later described as a conditional statement and not a threat.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) previously recommended three counts of grave threat and one count of inciting to sedition over Duterte’s remarks. Following the review of the complaints, the Department of Justice (DOJ) formally filed three counts of grave threats against the Vice President before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court on Aug. 11, while dismissing the inciting to sedition complaint.