Jamayka Rhose Pascual

The Office of the Vice President confirmed that Vice President Sara Duterte met with her predecessor, Leni Robredo, in a surprise “personal visit” at Naga City during the Penafrancia Festival.

Photo Courtesy of Remate/CDN/UniTeam.

In a statement released on September 20, Duterte shared that she had been invited by a Bicolano friend to attend the festival and had arranged for a “casual” meeting with Robredo, prompting a sudden visit at the latter’s home.

During the 2022 National Elections, Duterte ran alongside President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. under “UniTeam” alliance, while Robredo entered the race as an independent candidate with Kiko Pangilinan as her running mate.

Despite their past political rivalry, Duterte’s visit was reportedly focused on personal matters, emphasizing that the meeting had no political agenda.

“The conversation we had was personal and not political,” Robredo clarified.

In a chance interview, Robredo added that the feast promotes inclusivity regardless of political differences.

“Walang partido. Politically neutral dito lahat. Lahat ng pumupunta para kay Ina ay welcome dito sa amin,” Robredo stated.

Duterte also disclosed her relationship with Marcos last September 18, clarifying that despite their joint campaign in 2022, they never had a personal connection.

“Wala, hindi naman kasi kami talaga nagkausap n’yan. Hindi kami magkaibigan unang-una, nagkakilala lang kami dahil mag-running mate kami. So, bago pa man kami naging running mate, hindi na kami nag-uusap,” she said in an interview.

According to Duterte, her last conversation with Marcos occurred when she resigned as the Department of Education (DepEd) secretary and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) vice-chairperson.

This resignation followed her statement that the UniTeam alliance has disbanded now that the elections are over.

“We are not candidates anymore,” she added.

Duterte refused to answer further questions and was a no-show at Independence Day celebrations and the bi-annual bin d’honneur hosted by Marcos.

In a later interview, Marcos recalled his conversation with Duterte on her resignation from the Cabinet.

"I asked her, are there any particular reasons why she has chosen to resign from the DepEd and the NTF-ELCAC, and she said 'huwag na lang natin pag-usapan' so I did not force the issue," he shared.