Marcos mum on meeting with Duterte: There are things that need to remain confidential

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Monday refused to further disclose the details of his meeting with his predecessor, former President Rodrigo Duterte.

To recall, Duterte went to see Marcos last week "to talk to him about his recent meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in China." In an interview with reporters in Bulacan, Marcos said he likes to keep confidential their discussion as this involves operational aspects of the Philippine military.

"There are other things na napag-usapan (that we discussed) which I think need to remain confidential, that's between President Digong and myself. Again, these are operational aspects of our military, of our Navy, of our Coast Guard, kaya't mahirap masyado pag-usapan (so it is difficult to talk about it openly). I hope you will indulge me there," Marcos said.

Video from the Presidential Communications Office and photos from Senator Bong Go's Facebook showed former members of the Duterte Cabinet back in Malacañang last August 2.

They include Go, the former special assistant to the President; and former Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea.

On July 17, Duterte met Xi in Beijing just days after the Philippines commemorated the seventh anniversary of the arbitral ruling which upheld the country's exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea over China's massive claims.

Xi was reported to have asked Duterte to continue promoting cooperation between the two countries.

Marcos had said he was aware of the former President's trip to China and welcomed any new line of communication with the Asian power amid issues in the South China Sea. —KG, GMA Integrated News