MANILA- Veteran actress-singer Sharon Cuneta on Thursday expressed her delight after President Rodrigo Duterte mentioned her in his recent speeches.

In a Facebook post on Thursday, Cuneta thanked the President, saying she felt "so kilig" upon knowing that he had mentioned her in his speeches.

"‪Thank you, Mr. President Duterte, Sir, for what you said on the news about me and my friend Mayor Inday Sara last night. May God bless you, Sir! (So "kilig!" Might be an inappropriate word, everyone --but hey - it's how I feel!)," she said.

During his speech at the Department of Justice anniversary on Tuesday, Duterte recalled how his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, once wished to meet Cuneta.

The President said he then relayed his daughter's wish to Cuneta's husband Sen. Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan, current leader of the opposition Liberal Party.

“Pangilinan is my friend at may utang na loob ako sa kanya. Si Inday (Sara), when she was [in] Grade 6, Grade 5, sabi ko: ‘Anak, anong gusto mong birthday gift?’ Sabi niya ‘gusto ko magkasama kami ni Sharon Cuneta,’” Duterte said.

In another speech on the same day, Duterte said he had to call Pangilinan to express his daughter's wish to have dinner with Cuneta.

“I had to call Sen. Pangilinan. Senator, I owe you for doing this [for] my daughter. I respect you," said Duterte.

• READ: Duterte calls critic Kiko Pangilinan 'my friend'

It was unclear when the meeting between the actress and Sara Duterte happened. But Cuneta, in responding to a netizen's comment on her post, said she became friends with Duterte's daughter even before he became President.

The singer-actress said that while she knows that her husband is an opposition leader, she appreciates Duterte's respect for him as well as her friendship with Sara.

"Everyone let's aim for peace here. Doesn't matter. We know they (Duterte and Pangilinan) are on opposing sides. But I appreciate the President's respect for him, and me, and my friendship with Inday Sara which started long before anyone knew Pres. Duterte was going to run for his present position," she said.