SEN. Panfilo Lacson on Tuesday slammed as “foolish” a proposal urging senator-judges to commit to rejecting a possible appointment as vice president if Vice President Sara Duterte is removed from office through impeachment.
Lacson questioned Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano’s call for his colleagues to rule out accepting the position, saying it was unnecessary.
“Somebody had the gall to suggest that my Senate colleagues should decline a Vice Presidential appointment from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. if the impeachment trial ends in conviction. While ‘no comment’ would be the most appropriate response to such a nonsensical idea, silence might be misconstrued as interest in the position,” Lacson said on a social media post.
“Let me be clear: I have a mandate to fulfill until 2031, and the VP post is not under consideration,” he added.
Lacson cited a hypothetical scenario in which Marcos considers appointing Sen. Manuel “Lito” Lapid to replace Duterte if the vice presidency becomes vacant.
“What if PBBM considers appointing Sen. Lito Lapid because he is makamasa and has a good heart? Must Sen. Lapid decline simply because he is a senator-judge? Isn’t that a foolish proposition?” Lacson said.
Lacson said that Cayetano’s proposal was unwarranted because the Constitution allows the president to nominate a replacement vice president from among members of either chamber of Congress, subject to confirmation by both chambers voting separately.
“Cayetano should not meddle with the president’s prerogative to appoint, subject to the confirmation of Congress,” Lacson said.
Cayetano on Tuesday urged senator-judges to set aside personal political ambitions in deciding Duterte’s impeachment case, saying they should assure the public that the prospect of assuming higher office would not influence their votes.
He welcomed Senate Presiding Officer Francis Escudero’s declaration that he would decline the vice presidency if Duterte was removed from office.
“Nobody had offered him the position. He could have kept quiet and left the possibility open. Instead, he gave people a reason to trust that his vote would not be influenced by the prospect of becoming vice president,” Cayetano said.
Cayetano said his proposal was not intended to prejudge the trial’s outcome but to address concerns about the impartiality of senator-judges.
“Everyone remains free to decide. I hope we can consider the concern behind the invitation before taking offense at being asked,” he said.
He acknowledged concerns that discussing succession was premature while the trial remained ongoing but questioned whether senator-judges should wait until after voting or receiving an offer before declaring their intentions.
“But when should we make clear that we will put personal interests aside? Must we wait until we have voted or someone offers us the position?” Cayetano said.
Investigations, he said, must proceed based on evidence regardless of whether an official remains in office.
He also urged his colleagues to discuss concerns about the trial calmly, warning that personal disputes could distract from the Senate’s constitutional responsibilities.
“Whatever their views on the vice president, they deserve to know that those judging her case have put personal advantage aside,” Cayetano said.
“Our conduct must live up to our words. We must hear both sides, weigh the evidence, and follow the Constitution,” he added.
The impeachment trial is focused on Article II, which accuses Duterte of unexplained wealth, inaccuracies in her statements of assets, liabilities and net worth, and failure to divest business interests.
The prosecution withdrew the other three articles earlier this month.
