Under the Philippine Constitution, the Vice President is mandated to assume the presidency should the sitting President step down or be unable to serve.
Vice President Sara Duterte underscored this responsibility by affirming her readiness to take over Malacañan if President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. relinquishes power, stressing that her role as “first in line in succession” is a duty she accepted when she ran for and was elected to the vice presidency.
“Of course, there is no question about my readiness. I presented myself to you when I was a candidate for Vice President with the understanding that I am the first in line in succession,” she said in an interview with GMA News on Tuesday, Nov. 25.
“Wala nang tanong doon kung ano ang gagawin ko. ‘Yun ang mandate sa akin ng Constitution. At alam ko ‘yun noong ako ay tumakbo at binoto ninyo ako as Vice President,” she added.
Her remarks come amid heightened public frustration over alleged corruption in flood control projects since August.
With two major rallies—and another one scheduled this Nov. 30–drawing in hundreds of thousands of Filipinos to the streets to demand for accountability, reports of a possible military coup have started threatening President Marcos’ administration.
During the same interview, Duterte alleged that the President—her tandem during the 2022 national elections—is also accountable for the multi-billion-peso infrastructure scandal.
“So, his signature on the General Appropriations Act is the best evidence against him. Accountable siya kasi he allowed the insertions so that is a culpable violation of the Constitution,” she said, adding that Marcos has done a lot of impeachable offenses.
“Refusal to take a drug test, that is betrayal of public trust. Allowing the ICC (International Criminal Court) to enter the Republic of the Philippines is culpable violation of the Constitution. That is against our national sovereignty,” she stressed.
The Vice President herself was impeached by the House of Representatives in February but this was overturned by the Supreme Court, with the Articles of Impeachment being archived in the Senate thereafter pending a Motion for Reconsideration lodged before the high court.
Asked about the possibility of filing an impeachment complaint against Marcos, Duterte pointed out that doing so is useless because the House—filled with allies of the President—will not move on the complaint.
She also denied that certain groups have reached out to her about filing an impeachment complaint.
Marcos, former speaker Martin Romualdez, and presidential son Rep. Sandro Marcos were implicated by resigned Ako Bicol Partylist Rep. Zaldy Co in the flood control mess.
Co has been in hiding since July, and refused to go back home despite a standing warrant of arrest. (Raymund Antonio)
