MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE) Vice President Noli De Castro declared Saturday that he was "prepared, not preparing," to take over the presidency in the event of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's resignation or ouster as a result of the political tumult triggered by the National Broadband Network (NBN) scandal.

Speaking on his weekly radio program, "Para Sa Iyo, Bayan," De Castro said it was his constitutional duty as Vice President to assume the presidency in case of a vacancy.

"From Day 1, I already knew my duties under the Constitution as the elected Vice President. I'm prepared for that," said the former broadcast journalist who was elected senator in 2001 and Vice President in 2004.

"That's my mandate from the over 15 million people who voted for me. Iba yung naghahanda at handa (There's a difference between preparing and being prepared)," he said, adding that when he became Vice President, he was "already prepared."

De Castro was commenting on reports that he was in touch with opposition groups and prominent personalities involved in the protest actions demanding the truth behind the scrapped NBN deal with China's ZTE Corp., as well as the resignation of Ms Arroyo.

These groups and personalities are purportedly advocating a constitutional succession in case of a vacancy in the presidency. But De Castro has been criticized as being unfit for the office.

Experience

De Castro laughed off the criticism, saying his detractors might as well have said that a "shadow Cabinet" was doing the job for him: "Kulang na lang na sabihin ninyo na ako'y may shadow Cabinet."

He pointed out that in his three years as Vice President, he had never been absent from any Cabinet meeting and had been religiously performing the work assigned to him.

De Castro also said the presidency was not learned in college or from books, and that the necessary preparation was based on his experience as Vice President and not on "crash courses or tutorials."

He parried text messages questioning his fitness to lead and expressing the opinion that he would also end up being corrupt.

He said such comments were part of the territory, and that lack of criticism meant that he was insignificant.

101 percent

De Castro said that like many Filipinos, he wanted to know the truth behind the NBN-ZTE scandal in which the First Couple have been implicated.

He said he was "101 percent for the search for the truth."

He admitted that there was corruption in the government, just like, he said, in other governments.

But he said what was more important were the measures being taken by the government concerned to arrest and contain corruption.

Asked why he had not been visible lately, De Castro said: "I was fulfilling the duties and functions that I was tasked to do, like housing, OFW (overseas Filipino workers) matters, and extending assistance, etc."

Praised rally organizers

He praised the people who organized and took part in Friday's interfaith rally in Makati City, which turned out to be the biggest protest action since the NBN-ZTE scandal erupted late last year.

But he expressed the belief that the truth would come out in the judicial process, not in political rallies.

"I do not look at one truth only. Truth cannot be found in a rally, although we will hear the cry for truth there. We have a judicial or legal process," De Castro said in a mix of English and Filipino.

He said what was important was for the accuser to present the evidence and the accused to come out with his/her version of the truth.

De Castro said Romulo Neri, the director of the National Economic and Development Authority when the NBN-ZTE deal was approved, should reveal the truth behind the scandal to appease an angry people.

He said it was up to Neri to answer the remaining questions on the scandal in the proper judicial forum.

"But if he is lying, that is unacceptable," De Castro told the Philippine Daily Inquirer. "He should heed the call of his conscience in all that is happening now. Kailangan niya ng gabay (He needs help). He has to understand that the truth will be his best weapon and shield. He should understand that in the end, the truth will always, always come out."

De Castro added that the legal process could be used to elicit the truth from Neri, now the chair of the Commission on Higher Education, who has refused to heed summonses from the Senate to resume his testimony on the NBN-ZTE deal.

Asked why he was being very vocal for the truth behind the scandal to come out, De Castro said that as Vice President, he was expected by the people to take a stand on this important issue.

"I've already made a stand," he said. "As I've said, no one is above the law. Those who should be prosecuted and made liable must face the law and be brought to justice."

"I don't want to orbit outside the Constitution. I want the law to prevail in our society. For liberty, less law is anarchy," he said.

Peaceful rally

Both De Castro and his guest on the program, Philippine National Police Director General Avelino Razon, praised the conduct of the interfaith rally in Makati.

"The rally was orderly and peaceful. The bishops showed that they were for the peaceful search for truth," De Castro said.

Asked to comment on former Presidents Corazon Aquino and Joseph Estrada sharing the stage during the rally, he said "history is like that--paikot-ikot lang iyan."

Razon thanked Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, who personally led the peaceful dispersal of the demonstrators at the end of the rally.

But Razon insisted that the police checkpoints were meant not to block more people from joining the rally but to check for possible weapons or firearms.

Told that the rally turned out peaceful because of the demonstrators themselves, and not the police, Razon agreed.

But he also said an earlier dialogue between the PNP on one side and Binay, the rally organizers, civil society groups and the bishops on the other was responsible for the peaceful conduct of the rally.