Roque: Abolition of VP office up to Congress, people

MANILA, Philippines — The possible abolition of the Office of the Vice President under a proposed federal government will depend on Filipino voters, Malacañang said Monday.

In a televised press briefing, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that the matter is “beyond the control of the Palace.”

Roque, a former party-list lawmaker, said: “It is Congress sitting as constitutional assembly that will propose amendments. I’m sure that any proposed amendment to the Constitution will be subject to the ratification of the people.”

The camp of Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday questioned the possible abolition of the OVP, noting that it is not a requirement for the shift to federalism. Some nations with federal systems of government like the United States have a vice president. Others, like Canada and France, do not.

“The only time since then that we have had no VP was during the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos. That said, the current proposals to revise the Constitution are supposedly anchored on a drive to promote and institute a federal system of government,” Robredo’s legal counsel, Barry Gutierrez said in a statement.

He stressed that the OVP has been a feature of the Philippine republic for over 80 years, ever since it was created under the 1935 Constitution.

“The only time since then that we have had no VP was during the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos,” Gutierrez said.

Robredo’s camp made the statement after Bayan Muna chair Neri Colmenares said that under the ruling PDP-Laban party’s proposed constitution, the OVP would be abolished once the proposed constitution is ratified in a plebiscite.

READ: Robredo camp questions move to abolish OVP in shift to federalism