MANILA - Resigned Palace official Esther Margaux "Mocha" Uson said she is open to the possibility of running in the 2019 midterm elections.

In an ambush interview after announcing her resignation during a Senate budget hearing, Uson said she is still reading the pulse of her supporters.

"Kung ano po ng mababasa kong comment sa Facebook, 'yung sinasabi ng supporters doon, doon ko po titingnan," she said after being asked if she will run in the upcoming polls.

(It depends, I'll look at what my Facebook supporters will say.)

"Senator, Congress—hindi ko po alam pero open po tayo," she added. (Senate, Congress—I don't know yet but I'm open.)

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In a recent Pulse Asia survey on possible senatorial bets for 2019, Uson, who claims to have more than 5 million followers on Facebook, only ranked 46th to 53rd.

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But she said she does not really think about the surveys because she is focused on what her followers on Facebook are telling her.

"Ang sinasabi lang nila, laban lang (They tell me to continue fighting)," she said, stressing that she will continue to help the Duterte administration even if she is not in any government position.

"Ako po, ang gusto lamang po natin 'yung dapat na nasa Konrgeso o Senate ay totoong naninilbihan sa bayan kahit hindi pa ako yan," she said.

(I just want lawmakers in the Congress and Senate to really serve the nation. It doesn't necessarily have to be me.)

Uson, a popular social media personality, was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as assistant secretary at the Presidential Communications Office in 2017.

She recently drew flak over a video about federalism that featured dancing and another clip that courted protests from the deaf community.

The House of Representatives earlier deferred the PCOO's budget after Uson failed to attend budget deliberations at the Batasan Pambansa.--report from Sherrie Ann Torres, ABS-CBN News