MANILA: Business magnate Manuel V. Pangilinan, also known as MVP, has accepted the apology of President Rodrigo Duterte, thanking his “sincerity and kindness”.
On his Twitter account, Pangilinan said, “I would like to thank the President for his remarks tonight, most especially for his sincerity and kindness.”
Duterte conveyed his apologies to the chief executive of Hong Kong-listed First Pacific, which owns the Philippine Long Distance Telephone and TV 5, and to Ayala Corp. Chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala for his “hurting words” in the past.
In a late public address on Monday, Duterte said he was humbled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 humbled me. With the kind of response that you gave, showed to the public, it’s a humbling experience also for me. That, you know, baka kailangan mo rin sila balang araw,” Duterte said.
“I’d like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping us provide the necessities of the moment,” he added.
In 2019, Duterte threatened two water concessionaires headed and operated by Pangilinan and Ayala — the Maynilad Water Services Inc. and the Manila Water Company respectively.
During his public address on Monday, Duterte said he is “ready to talk”.
