Premature to talk about VP replacement – Palace

MANILA, Philippines — It’s premature to talk about a possible replacement for Vice President Sara Duterte while her impeachment trial is ongoing, Malacañang said yesterday.

Palace press officer Claire Castro made this clear when asked to comment on the call of Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano for senators to reject any offer to replace her as vice president should she be convicted and perpetually banned from holding public office. Cayetano made the proposal supposedly to avoid conflict of interest.

“First of all, we shouldn’t even be discussing replacing the Vice President at this time, which is very premature. Let us respect the Office of the Vice President,” Castro said at a briefing in Cagayan de Oro.

“If anyone is disrespecting the president, or saying something negative about the president, even if he doesn’t get respect, at least let’s respect the Office of the Vice President,” she said.

“Since the impeachment trial is not over yet, let the process continue. After all, it’s what the President wants – for the process, due process to take its course,” she added.

In a Facebook post, Cayetano urged fellow senators to reject any offer from Malacañang to take over the country’s second highest post if Duterte is convicted.

But he later clarified that everyone was free to decide, after Sen. Panfilo Lacson said Cayetano could not preempt a decision of the President.

Lacson stressed that he had no interest in becoming vice president.

Cayetano lauded impeachment court presiding officer Francis Escudero’s stand not to accept any offer to replace Duterte as vice president.

Castro, however, said Cayetano has no authority to impose on his fellow senators, or on the President.

The 1987 Constitution states that the president may nominate a vice president from among members of the Senate or the House of Representatives, in case of a vacancy in the position of vice president.

The nominee must be confirmed by a majority vote of all members of both chambers, voting separately. 

Impeachment adviser for the House of Representatives and former lawmaker Robert Ace Barbers also considers it premature to talk about appointing a replacement for the Vice President.

“Number one, it’s still premature for us to talk about it at this stage of the trial,” Barbers told a news briefing.

“Number two, we leave that up to the President precisely because that is his prerogative – to choose who does he want to appoint as VP,” the former Surigao del Norte congressman said.

He said the issue may have emerged due to the strong evidence presented by prosecutors against Duterte. The Vice President’s impeachment trial resumes on Nov. 9, with the defense team presenting its evidence.

‘Foolish proposition’

While discussion on the issue is premature to some, Cayetano’s asking his Senate colleagues to refuse any offer to take the place of Duterte – if she gets convicted – is outright foolish, according to Sen. Panfilo Lacson.

In a post on X, Lacson chastised Cayetano for having the gall to ask fellow senators to reject any offer from President Marcos to be his vice president in the event of a Duterte conviction.

Lacson said he had to speak up on the issue to dispel any notion that he might be interested in taking over Durterte’s post.

“Somebody had the gall to suggest that my Senate colleagues should decline a vice presidential appointment from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. if the impeachment trial ends in conviction,” he said in his Tweet apparently referring to Cayetano.

“While ‘no comment’ would be the most appropriate response to such a nonsensical idea, silence might be misconstrued as interest in the position,” Lacson said.

“Let me be clear: I have a mandate to fulfill until 2031, and the VP post is not under consideration,” he emphasized.

Lacson called Cayetano’s remark unwarranted because even the 1987 Constitution empowers the President to choose from Congress who he wants to be his vice president in case of a vacancy.

“He shouldn’t meddle, he shouldn’t preempt the President who does the choosing – of course subject to confirmation by Congress,” the senator said.

Lacson cited a hypothetical situation wherein a colleague, Sen. Lito Lapid, may be forced to decline such an offer just because he is an impeachment senator-judge.

“What if PBBM considers appointing Sen. Lito Lapid because he is makamasa and has a good heart? Must Sen. Lapid decline simply because he is a senator-judge?” Lacson asked.

“Isn’t that a foolish proposition?” he added.

On Facebook, Cayetano quoted the Bible to illustrate his point that “what is legal is not necessarily right.”

The Senate minority leader lauded impeachment court presiding officer Francis Escudero for announcing his intention to decline the post out of delicadeza, even though no offer has yet been made.

“Nobody had offered him the position. He could have kept quiet and left the possibility open. Instead, he gave people a reason to trust that his vote would not be influenced by the prospect of becoming Vice President. With so much doubt surrounding our politics, I think we need more of that,” Cayetano said.

He reiterated his call for his fellow senator judges to emulate Escudero in refusing a possible offer, due to conflict of interest.

“I invited my fellow senator-judges to join me in making the same commitment. Everyone remains free to decide. I hope we can consider the concern behind the invitation before taking offense at being asked,” Cayetano said.

“We can keep an open mind about the evidence while deciding what we would be willing to accept afterward. Senator Chiz’s commitment does not presume a conviction. It assures the public that he will not accept the office his vote might help make vacant,” he added. - Delon Porcalla, Marc Jayson Cayabyab