HONOLULU, Hawaii — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sunday (US time) said that Vice President Sara Duterte should not face impeachment amid discussions on the possibility by certain members of the House of Representatives.

Marcos conceded that impeachment discussions are common, adding that there will always be a faction seeking to alter the outcome of an election.

"We're closely monitoring the situation because we don't want her to be impeached. We don't want her to… she does not deserve to be impeached, so we will make sure that this is something we will pay very close attention to," Marcos said.

"Well, all of us have those kinds of things. So, I don't think it's particularly unusual, I don't think it's particularly worrisome," he added.

Asked about his relationship with Duterte, he said they have an "excellent" one.

Duterte has been the subject of impeachment talk after she requested a combined P650 million in confidential funds in the proposed 2024 budgets for the Office of the Vice President and Department of Education, both of which she heads.

In a TV interview last week, ACT Teachers Partylist Representative France Castro revealed that leaders of certain political parties in the House were discussing Duterte's impeachment. However, House Deputy Majority Leader Erwin Tulfo refuted any such discussions by lawmakers.

Castro on Monday denied that the House was plotting the "impeachment" of Duterte over confidential funds.

In an interview, Castro walked back her allegation that there were ongoing deliberations in the House to oust Duterte, claiming the rumored talk was not that serious.

"The leadership is not involved," Castro said. "Those were just casual conversations among lawmakers… that was last September. Nothing serious about that."

Meanwhile, Marcos visited the United States Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii.

Presidential Communications Office Secretary Cheloy Garafil and National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said Marcos made history as the first Philippine president to visit the US military facility that encompasses the Indo-Pacific region, amid the ongoing tension with China in the West Philippine Sea.