Two bills have been separately submitted in the Senate and in the House of Representatives designating successors to the President in case of death or allowing the incumbent to designate his chosen successor.
In the Senate, to ensure continuity and stability of operations in government, Senator Panfilo Lacson proposed Senate Bill No. 982, designating successors to the presidential seat in case of death, permanent disability and other circumstances.
Under the 1987 Constitution, the line of presidential succession only includes the Vice President, Senate President, and House Speaker.
“This bill … seeks to provide an exhaustive line/order of presidential succession in the event of death, permanent disability, removal from office or resignation of the Acting President to ensure that the office of the President is never vacated even in exceptional circumstances,” Lacson said.
In the House, a bill allowing the President to designate his chosen successor in case he and all of his constitutional successors get killed at the same time has been filed at the House of Representatives.
House Bill 4062 filed by Quezon City Rep. Precious Hipolito Castelo allows the President to pick a successor “in the event that the Chief Executive, the Vice President, the Senate President, and the Speaker die or become unable to fill in for the position.”
Castelo filed her bill as she voiced concern over the fact that heads, in an event like the annual State of the Nation Address of the President, gather in one venue.
She said there would always be security threats whenever the top officials of the land were in one place.
In her bill, Castelo cited the provision in the 1987 Constitution which states that should the President die, resign, be removed from office, or become incapacitated to occupy the position, the Vice President would fill in, followed by the Senate President and Speaker.
“However, in the unlikely chance that all of these officials become unavailable to fill in the role of the
President, our supreme law does not provide a rule. During SONA, or during any other assembly where these officials are gathered, the probability of this happening becomes greater,” Castelo said in the bill’s explanatory note.
Just like in the US, the designated successor will be kept in a secure place until the gathering where top officials are is over and they have parted ways.
In case of death or permanent disability, the measure provides that the following elected and appointed officers who are not under disability to discharge the powers and duties of the Office of the President shall assume the Presidency in the following order: the most senior senator, based on the length of service in the Senate, the most senior Representative, based on the length of service in the House of Representatives the member of the Cabinet designated by the President.
Under the bill, the President shall designate a member of the Cabinet to be secured in an undisclosed location before any public or private activity, event or function attended by the President, Vice President and ranking officials.
“In the event of an extraordinary circumstance resulting in the death or permanent disability of the President, Vice President and the officials mentioned… the designated member of the Cabinet shall act as President,” Lacson said.
He added that the Acting President’s official actions pertaining to day-to-day operation of the government shall remain effective unless revoked by the elected President within 90 days from his or her assumption or re-assumption of office.
Castelo said, “Since our Constitution does not provide for the same rule, we can only imagine how tragic the outcome will be in case the unthinkable happens.”
Castelo’s bill was inspired by the popular Netflix series “Designated Survivor.”