Senate President Francis Escudero during the Kapihan sa Senado forum on December 5, 2024. Noy Morcoso/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — If Vice President Sara Duterte is impeached, Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero said that the President will nominate her replacement.
This is pursuant to Section 9, Article VII of the 1987 Constitution which states that whenever there is a vacancy in the Office of the Vice President, the chief executive shall nominate a replacement from the Senate and the House of Representatives.
“We saw that happen when then-President Joseph Estrada was ousted and then-Vice President Gloria Arroyo replaced him. The vice presidency was left vacant. What she did was, she appointed a vice president from Congress,” Escudero explained in Filipino.
Lawmakers from the Senate and the House of Representatives already possess the following qualifications: natural-born Filipino citizens, registered voters, residents of the Philippines, and able to read and write.
However, their ages need to be checked because as per Article 7, Section 2 of the charter, the vice president must be at least 40 years old.
“No senator is aged below 40, so all senators now are qualified. But some congressmen are below 40, so they will not be nominated because they are not qualified,” Escudero said.
“So the President will choose and after he’s chosen, it will get confirmed by majority vote from the Congress and the Senate by separate votes. If that happens, that person will become the Vice President,” he explained.
Duterte was slapped with two impeachment complaints on Monday and Wednesday.
The first impeachment complaint was filed by civil society organizations and endorsed by Akbayan party-list Rep. Percival Cendaña.
The second impeachment complaint was filed by over 70 representatives of progressive groups and was sponsored by ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro, Gabriela party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas, and Kabataan party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel.
Escudero previously told senators not to make any public comments in relation to the impeachment complaint against Duterte because the Senate stands ready to fulfill its mandate with integrity and impartiality should the case push through.
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