Malacañang on Wednesday said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will not react to a reported meeting between Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte and Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Jing Quan, despite ongoing issues involving China in the West Philippine Sea.
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said the President and the Palace have no role in or responsibility for the actions of a local chief executive, as long as they do not violate the law.
The Palace stressed that mayors act independently within the scope of their authority, and any consequences arising from their actions rest solely with them.
“Wala magiging reaksyon ang Pangulo at palasyo kung ano man ang ginagawa ng mayor ng Davao City (There will be no reaction from the President and the Palace whatever the mayor of Davao City does),” Castro said.
“May kasabihan nga tayo na buntot niya, hila niya. Kung ano man ang ginagawa niya (Duterte) consequence niya po (We have a saying that he should pull along his own tail. Whatever he does, the consequence is on him),” she added.
The Palace did not elaborate on the substance of the reported meeting or whether it had any implications for national policy on the West Philippine Sea. In this area, the Philippines has ongoing territorial disputes with China.
Duterte is the son of former President Rodrigo Duterte, under whose tenure China enjoyed warmer relations with the Philippines, amid the global Covid-19 pandemic.
In a social media post, the Chinese Embassy in Manila said Jing, who stayed in Davao City for two days, also met with members of the Filipino-Chinese community.
“Ambassador Jing had a fruitful meeting with Mayor Sebastian Duterte and City Councilors of Davao, exchanging views on enhancing bilateral ties and exploring cooperation in economic, high-tech, cultural, educational fields and so on,” the embassy said.
