‘Tango in, Cha-cha out’: Duterte’s potential VP bid a circumvention of the Constitution, says Drilon

FILE Senator Franklin Drilon and President Rodrigo Duterte.

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte’s potential bid for the vice presidency is a circumvention and a contravention of the spirit of the 1987 Constitution, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Friday.

Drilon, who previously served as justice secretary, said that while the Constitution does not prohibit the President to run for any elected position aside from the presidential post, running for vice president “could pose a serious problem of succession to the presidency later on.”

“This is because a vice president can become President anytime in case of resignation, impeachment, death, and permanent incapacity of the President,” Drilon said in a statement.

“In case of resignation, impeachment, death, and permanent incapacity of the President, the Vice President is first in the line of succession to the presidency. Can Duterte assume the role of the president again? It will create a big question mark in an otherwise clear and established presidential line of succession later on,” the senator further said.

A portion of Article VII, Section 4 states that: “The President shall not be eligible for any re-election. No person who has succeeded as President and has served as such for more than four years shall be qualified for election to the same office at any time.”

Thus, Drilon said, the public should oppose any attempt to circumvent the Constitution, which made clear that the position of President is not eligible for any re-election.

“The spirit of the provision is to allow only one term for the president and to prohibit two terms. No person can occupy the highest position in the land for two terms,” he said.

“Hindi lumusot ang Cha-cha (charter-change) kaya susubukan nilang mag-tango. The Filipinos should not allow this clear circumvention of the spirit of the Constitution,” Drilon added.

Lawyer Christian Monsod, one of the framers of the 1987 Constitution, earlier said he is willing to file a complaint should Duterte run for vice president in 2022, saying the Chief Executive’s possible candidacy can serve as a “backdoor” to another presidential term.

Duterte, in numerous occasions, has expressed his openness to run for the vice presidential post.

In the recent meeting of the ruling PDP-Laban party, which aired entirely on government-run PTV 4, party members took turns to convince the President that he needs to run for the second-highest post in the country for “continuity.”

EDV