Pacquiao says not withdrawing bid for presidency after meeting Duterte

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Manny Pacquiao said Thursday he will not back out from eyeing the presidency in the 2022 elections, after he met President Rodrigo Duterte whom he had a fallout with this year.

Malacañang had confirmed the meeting between the two on November 9 but denied there was talk of politics. 

"There's no going back and the fight is on," the senator said in a statement partly in Filipino. "My stance in running for president remains unchanged."

Pacquiao and Duterte belong to the PDP-Laban. But infighting in past months within resulted in the administration party splitting into two: one led by Pacquiao and the other by Duterte's energy secretary Alfonso Cusi. 

That dispute has reached the Commission on Elections, which will have to decide which of the faction would be the legitimate for next year's polls. 

Pacquiao said the meeting was arranged by "common friends" and like the Palace, said politics was not discussed. 

"It provided us an opportunity to talk about our shared vision for Mindanao," he added. 

The Cusi-led wing has fielded Sen. Ronald dela Rosa as its standard-bearer, along with Sen. Christopher "Bong" Go for vice president. 

Pacquiao, meanwhile, is running with Rep. Lito Atienza (Buhay Party-list) as his vice presidential candidate.