MALACAÑANG on Tuesday, October 9, washes its hands of a move at the House of Representatives to remove Vice President Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo from the line of succession in the proposed transition government.
"We leave it so far to Congress because that's the constitutional obligation of Congress," Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. told Palace reporters.
"If they so decide to submit proposals to amend or revise the Constitution, it will come from them if the mode chosen is through a constituent assembly," he added.
A draft charter proposed by House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and 21 other congressment names the Senate President, not the Vice President, as next in line, in case President Rodrigo Duterte is unable to lead the transition to the proposed federal state.
Section 4, Article 17 of Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 15, the Arroyo-backed proposed federal constitution, provides: "In case a vacancy by reason of removal, resignation, permanent incapacity or death of the incument President, the incumbent Senate President shall act as President until a President shall have been chosen and qualified."
Albay Representative Edcel Lagman, in a press conference on Tuesday, said the proposal is errant as it short-circuits the logical and legitimate succession of the Vice President to the Presidency.
“Even in school organization, community organization... there’s always a vice president and the purpose is once the president is unable to perform his functions then the vice president will assume,” Lagman said.
Lagman said Vice President Robredo should not be deprived of her constitutional right to succeed the president.
“The present administration has been targeting the Vice President and that move is just consistent with the direction being undertaken by the present administration. To my mind, the purpose of the vice president principally is to assume the post of president once the incumbent ceases to be capable of discharging his functions,” he said.
According to House constitutional amendments panel chair and Leyte Rep. Vicente Veloso, the removal of the vice president from the line of succession is aimed at preventing instability in the government.
He cited the ongoing electoral protest between Robredo and former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. before the Supreme Court.
In a separate press conference, Veloso clarified that the provision will only take effect during the transition period or during the period prior to the May 2022 election proposed in the draft constitution.
“What we are referring to is transitory provision... We envision that by May 2019 we will have a ratified 2018 constitution so there is a period of three years that has to be addressed by an interim or transitory provision of the constitution,” Veloso said.
“Now the question of why instead of Vice President in case the death of the president, removal, resignation it is the senate president, I just surmised because I was not the author of this and we did not have any time to question PDP laban (Partido Demokratiko Pilipino Lakas ng Bayan) at least. May I remind that in the beginning PDP laban was coming up with a hybrid federal from of government... PDP laban did not have the position of Vice President because they had prime minster. They do not have vice prime minister,” he added. (SunStar Philippines)