Cabinet post for Bongbong?

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Appointing Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to a Cabinet position was among the issues discussed in a meeting at a local bar Friday night between the senator and president-elect Rodrigo Duterte.

The meeting, held at the After Dark Piano Bar, was the first between the two friends since the May 9 elections.

Marcos arrived at the bar at around 8:30 p.m. while Duterte – true to his reputation as a nocturnal mayor of this city – arrived at around 11:30 p.m.

The senator, who lost in the vice presidential race last May 9, said the meeting was an opportunity for him to congratulate Duterte for his victory and to talk about what happened during the campaign period.

“Everyone was here. We told stories about the campaign,” he told reporters in a chance interview.

Asked whether Duterte would offer him a Cabinet post after the one-year ban on appointing losing candidates, Marcos said: “Well we talked about a little bit about what will happen now but there are no details yet.”

Marcos lost to Liberal Party’s Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo by a slim margin of around 200,000 votes.  He claimed he had been cheated and vowed to file an election protest this month.

Under the law, a losing candidate cannot be appointed to a government post within a year after the elections.

Residents living in shanties adjacent to the bar eagerly awaited the arrival of the two political figures as journalists staked out, hoping to take photos and get interviews.

Marcos, the only son and namesake of the late dictator, said he is open to joining the Duterte Cabinet as it would provide him an opportunity to serve the public. “If given a chance, of course. It would be a great honor,” the outgoing senator said.

“I am at heart a public servant. If I am called to serve, I will be honored to respond to it,” he told a news conference.

He declined to say what government post he prefers, saying it would be up to Duterte to make the decision.  

“I think we’re getting far ahead of ourselves. We should leave that to the president-elect. He will be the one to decide,” he said.

While they ran under different parties last election, Marcos said he is ready to support Duterte’s administration “in any way possible.” Duterte’s runningmate was Sen. Alan Cayetano while Marcos was the vice presidential candidate of losing presidential bet Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago. – With Edith Regalado, Jess Diaz