Who wants to be VP?

Step aside “Squid Game,” “Who wants to be VP?” is now the new game in town. Who will replace VP Sara? Will it be a member of Congress or will it be a senator?

Filipinos assume that replacing the Vice President would be based on ascendancy, where the Senate President is first in the line of succession then followed by the Speaker of the House if the Senate President declines.

Former senator Teofisto Guingona became vice president upon the nomination of then VP Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who replaced Erap Estrada as president. The next VP will either be nominated by the President and elected/endorsed by Congress as a whole.

Would Senate President Chiz Escudero or Speaker Martin Romualdez want to be the next vice president, knowing the acrimony or backlash that could come from being the replacement of VP Sara Duterte?

If Escudero or Romualdez accepts the position, it would effectively sideline them politically and limit their influence with the Senate or the House of Representatives. Their power over the purse would disappear, their influence would be diminished because they no longer decide on who gets to become heads of committees.

If either gentleman aspires to be the next president, the only way to make a run from VP to president would be to win PBBM’s full trust and confidence or openly campaign three years early. But can the President trust either with his life or future?

Senate President Chiz Escudero is characterized by loyalists as “hindi natin kakampi at ibang iba sa tatay niya.” Senator Chiz is street smart as well as very tactical politically and is out for Chiz above all. But that is why he is ahead of the pack.

Speaker Martin Romualdez, on the other hand, is very driven and is a magnet for controversy. “What Romualdez wants, Romualdez gets” but unlike Escudero, the Speaker does not pander or banter, which often makes him look like a runaway bulldozer, leaving PBBM with political migraines.

If the President wants to contain either gentleman, choosing one to be VP would be the solution, but the question is, who needs to be “locked up in the high tower” as VP? The worry is if things get iffy for PBBM, either guy could support an impeachment against PBBM.

So, who between the two could be a threat in the next three years and who could help PBBM recover from a lame first half? Clearly, any choice PBBM makes would place him “between the devil and the deep blue sea.”

The third option (AND THIS IS NOT MY IDEA) is for the President to make sure that his Manang Imee or Senator Imee Marcos wins in the election and then make her his personal choice as vice president!

Unless the photos we saw in the news were photo-shopped, it would seem that they have kissed and made up. That, according to my source of unsolicited ideas, would solve the many problems that PBBM has had with Senator Imee, the Dutertes, as well as the Romualdezes.

PBBM is in a “damned if you do and damned if you don’t” situation.

Senator Imee must win convincingly, to prove that the administration gave their full support to her. If she loses, PBBM will look so weak, he could not even save his sister from an embarrassing loss.

If Senator Imee wins convincingly, it may soften her attitude towards PBBM and the administration. If PBBM nominates Imee for VP, the Northern Alliance will probably support and crow about it, while the Dutertes may find an open door for cooperation after May 2025 and buy peace for PBBM.

Although the position of VP is largely ministerial, it opens the doors of Malacañang to Imee and, in the words of the “Manang,” places “a real Marcos” next to PBBM instead of being surrounded by troublesome relatives.

Some of our readers might react violently and ask how I could even imagine, much less write, what I have written for today. Filipinos already did the unimaginable in electing Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as President. The Speaker of the House is a Romualdez, there are so many “sibling senators,” next year it will be families in the Senate, not to mention entire clans in Congress by June 2025! Can’t a guy have some fun?

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Continuing with the guessing game, rumors are spreading that the administration is now studying the possibility of backing DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla as the presidential candidate for 2028. Is that why he was appointed as secretary of the DILG?

After hearing that, I shared it with a veteran politician and asked if the rumors were true or part of a campaign. It was news to him and he said that Remulla was way down the political ladder to get such a nomination.

From there, my friend and I compared notes on who should the administration seriously consider as candidate for 2028. Without batting an eyelash, we both said GIBO!

This is not a political endorsement, but an objective view based on DND Secretary Gilbert Teodoro’s track record. For starters, he is a two-time secretary of National Defense, a Harvard-trained lawyer and a one-time candidate for president.

Gibo has certainly matured over the years, has become a team player and is a patriot. He is also capable of bringing stakeholders to the table in the spirit of cooperation.

As DND secretary, Gibo has established himself among international and regional leaders and members of the diplomatic corps as hard working and accessible. He has very good relations with key officials of the United States, which is essential for continuity of shared security actions in the region.

Finally, Gibo would easily gain the support of the business community, many of whom are now his friends as well as peers.

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