Cabinet member pushed as successor

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Panfilo Lacson urged his colleagues on Monday to promptly act on a bill he had filed authorizing the President to name a Cabinet member who would take over the country’s highest elective office should any of the constitutional successors be unable do so.

Lacson, the Senate defense committee chair, reiterated that Senate Bill No. 982 would help prevent a possible “constitutional crisis and leadership vacuum” in the event that all three of the legal successors under the 1987 Constitution—the Vice President, Senate President and House Speaker—could not take over the presidency.

Under the measure filed in August 2019, the line of succession would be extended to include the most senior senator and representative based on their length of service in the Senate and House, respectively, and the Cabinet member picked by the President.

Lacson made the appeal in the wake of the latest suicide bombing incident in Jolo, Sulu, and President Duterte’s admission that his Barrett’s esophagus ailment was “nearing stage one cancer.”

The measure was inspired by the Netflix series “Designated Survivor” starring actor Kiefer Sutherland.

As depicted in the political thriller, Lacson’s measure would allow the President to select a Cabinet member who would be kept in a hidden and safe location before a public or private event to be attended by the country’s highest ranking government officials.

Lacson said the recent terror attacks should prompt Congress to discuss extending the line of succession to the presidency.