Despite being open to reconciling with the Duterte family, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reiterated that reconciliation should not come with any conditions.
This comes after several individuals from the Duterte camp stated that reconciliation could only happen if former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is currently detained at The Hague, Netherlands, is brought back to the country.
"That’s not how reconciliation works. You don’t put conditions to reconcile," Marcos Jr. told reporters from the Philippines in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Tuesday.
"When you want – if you’re sincere, you want to reconcile, let’s sit in front of… Ano ba talaga ang problema? Paano nangyari ito? Tanggalin natin ang problema," he added.
He then underscored that reconciliation must be unconditional, warning that making demands before engaging in dialogue defeats the purpose.
"That’s not even a – that’s not even a negotiation. That’s demanding," he firmly stated.
When asked how far he was willing to go in the pursuit of reconciliation, the President gave a candid yet measured response—conveying openness, while acknowledging that the path forward remains uncertain and will depend on how future events unfold.
"Put it this way. I don’t know. I don’t know what will come up. What’s needed," he said.
Before political tensions surfaced, Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte ran as a tandem under the “UniTeam” alliance. Duterte later stepped down as Education Secretary, marking her departure from the Cabinet.
The strain between the two camps intensified after the former President Duterte, was arrested on March 11 by Philippine authorities in compliance with an ICC warrant. He was subsequently transferred to The Hague, Netherlands.
He is facing charges of crimes against humanity, allegedly committed in the Philippines between November 1, 2011, and March 16, 2019.
Malacañang earlier asserted that the President will not allow himself to be coerced or influenced into doing what is wrong. He will not abandon or bend the law to accommodate the personal interests of a select few.
