Duterte hosts thanksgiving dinner for Cabinet members, serenades them with 'Ikaw'

President Rodrigo Duterte hosted a thanksgiving dinner in Malacañang for the members of his Cabinet on Monday night, a month before stepping down from office, Cabinet Secretary Melvin Matibag said.

Matibag said that the dinner was sponsored by the President together with the spouses of the Cabinet members, and the crowd was serenaded by the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra.

"We had dinner. It was a light moment, the President rendered some songs, alongside Cabinet members," Matibag told reporters on Tuesday at the sidelines of Day 2 of the Duterte Legacy Summit which touts the accomplishments of the Duterte administration.

"It was a celebration. Nagpasalamat siya (He thanked them) because for the last six years, a lot of sacrifices were made by Cabinet officials. The achievements of the administration were recognized, and the President also thanked the spouses for allowing the Cabinet members to serve the public," he added.

Matibag, however, could not say if it will be the last time that he will be meeting his Cabinet members.

"There have been a lot of people requesting an audience with him," he said.

"We are also looking at [a gathering] with winning candidates of PDP-Laban, and we are hoping it would be accommodated," Matibag added.

Commission on Higher Education Chairperson Prospero "Popoy" de Vera III shared on Facebook some photos and a video of Duterte hosting the said thanksgiving dinner and singing the Filipino song "Ikaw".

De Vera captioned Duterte's photo with Cabinet members as "One last fist pump for the Duterte administration."

Aside from Cabinet members, former Special Assistant to the President and Senator Christopher "Bong" Go was also present during the event. —KG, GMA News