Sara: Designated survivor remark not a joke or threat

VP Sara Duterte —photo from Inday Sara Duterte Facebook page

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte said on Wednesday that she was not joking around or making threats when she announced last week that she would be skipping the President’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) and appointed herself the “designated survivor.”

“It is not a joke [and] it is not a bomb threat. Many missed the point,” Duterte told reporters in Bisaya at the sidelines of the 2024 Brigada Eskwela National Kickoff in Cebu City on Wednesday, a day before she turns over the Department of Education to her successor, Sen. Edgardo Angara. Duterte announced her resignation from the post last month, effective July 19.

READ: More lawmakers air concern over Sara Duterte’s ‘designated survivor’ remark

“So if you didn’t understand the first time, then I don’t think you deserve an explanation,” she bluntly told critics.

Duterte also lamented that this was the first time a vice president was “monitored” for “everything,” even her attendance at government events.

Her July 11 remarks that she would not be going to the Sona on July 22 and her self-appointment as the designated survivor did not sit well with some lawmakers. One said that Duterte’s “joke” was not in good taste as the President’s safety was a serious matter. Another perceived it as both a joke and a threat and criticized her for her eagerness to take over the presidency.

In the United States, a designated survivor is a government official in the presidential line of succession who is kept away from others during a gathering, such as the State of the Union Address, to ensure that someone can take over the presidency in a mass casualty event.

Presidential succession bill

In the House of Representatives, a lawmaker said on Wednesday that he had filed a “designated survivor” bill to address situations where an acting President or Vice President is needed to fill the gaps in the 1987 Constitution on presidential succession and avoid a leadership crisis.

Manila Rep. Joel Chua’s Presidential Succession Bill of 2024 anticipates three situations. If the President is not yet chosen, the Vice President becomes acting President.

If the Senate President or House Speaker becomes acting President, the Vice President’s position is vacant and will be filled as per the constitutional line of succession.

If the Speaker cannot serve, the governors will choose an acting president, and city mayors will choose an acting Vice President.

If both the President and Vice President positions are vacant before the Senate President and Speaker are elected, the Chief Justice will temporarily supervise the executive branch to ensure government continuity.