VICE President Sara Duterte yesterday said she and President Marcos Jr. are not really friends even if they ran together in the 2022 national elections.

Duterte, who severed ties with the administration when she resigned as education secretary last June, said while she has long been friends with the President’s elder sister, Sen. Imee Marcos, she met Marcos Jr. only they became running mates under the “UniTeam” ticket.

“Wala. Hindi naman kasi kami talaga nagka-usap niyan. Hindi kami magkaibigan unang-una; nagkakilala lang kami dahil mag-running mate kami. So, bago pa man kami naging running mate, hindi na kami nag-uusap (None, we really didn’t talk. First, we weren’t really friends, we met only because we became running mates. So even before we became running mates, we didn’t talk),” Duterte told reporters at the House when asked if she has spoken with the President.

The Vice President was at the House of Representatives to attend the hearing of the House committee on good government and public accountability on the use of the annual national budget of the Office of the Vice President, including the Commission on Audit’s (COA) issuance of a notice of disallowance on its use of P73 million in confidential funds in 2022.

“Nagka-usap lang kami during campaign at saka sa trabaho noon. Ang kaibigan ko talaga si Sen. Imee Marcos, kilala niya ako since 2012. Noong nag-tender ako ng resignation, ‘yon ‘yong last na nagka-usap kami ni President Marcos (We only spoke during the campaign and at work. I’m friends with Sen. Imee Marcos, she has known me since 2012. When I resigned, that was the last time President Marcos and I talked),” Duterte said.

Last July, the Vice President said she and the President were “still friendly with each other on a personal level” despite her decision to cut her alliance with his administration.

Before her resignation, her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte attacked the administration over various issues, including moves to amend the Constitution, and Congress’ decision to strip the Office of the President of its confidential and intelligence funds, which lawmakers realigned to agencies at the forefront of protecting the country’s territorial integrity in the West Philippine Sea, like the Philippine Coast Guard.

The younger Duterte said she will reveal her future political plans in the fourth quarter of 2026.

“Sa ngayon, at this very minute, magsasabi ako kung tatakbo ako [in the 2028 presidential elections in the] fourth quarter ng 2026 (As of now, at this very minute, I will say if I will run for the 2028 presidential elections in the fourth quarter of 2026),” she said.

Asked if she would consider teaming up with the Marcoses again, she said, “Never again.”

Duterte said the topic has to be discussed in a sit-down interview.

She again talked about plans to impeach her, which House members have denied.

She said her House allies who are from Mindanao have told her that talks are going around that there is a move to impeach her and that Speaker Martin Romualdez will seek the presidency in the 2028 national elections.

“Ang sinasabi sa akin ng mga tiga-Mindanao ay pinag-uusapan talaga ang impeachment. At kapag tinatanong sila kung ano ang mangyayari sa 2028, ang sinasabi nila si Speaker Martin Romualdez ang candidate for 2028 (What my allies from Mindanao are telling me is that impeachment is really being discussed. And when they are asked what will happen in 2028, they say Speaker Martin Romualdez is the candidate for 2028),” the Vice President said.