Robredo on draft charter bypassing her as Duterte’s successor: A desperate move

Vice President Leni Robredo has described as "desperate" the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments' proposal to bypass her as President Rodrigo Duterte's successor during a transition to a federal government in the event he is unable to perform his duties.

“Unang una, naisip ko, parang masyado naman yatang desperado. Lahat na lang iniisip kung paano ako matanggal,” Robredo said in an interview in Bacolod.

Robredo was referring to a proposed draft federal charter authored by Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and other lawmakers pending in the House of Representatives. 

One of the provisions in the charter designates the Senate President, not Robredo, as Duterte's successor in the event he cannot perform his mandate.

“Pagpapaalala [ito] na hindi talaga tayo puwedeng magkampante, kasi ngayon, more than two years after the elections, talagang gumagawa pa din ng paraan para makaupo. Hindi nadala sa eleksyon, ginagawa through other means,” Robredo added.

Senators across party lines have expressed doubt that the committee's draft charter would prosper in the Senate, with Senator Panfilo Lacson even saying that Senate President Vicente Sotto III would not go for the proposal that he should be Duterte's successor.

"Senate President Sotto is too smart not to see through the bait being dangled by Speaker Arroyo and her close allies in the [House],” he said.

Bongbong poll protest cited as reason

Committee chairperson Representative Vicente Veloso had justified the provision by citing defeated vice presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.'s pending poll protest against Robredo before the Supreme Court.

Veloso, who said that the provision was based on the one in PDP-Laban's draft charter, described a scenario where the vice presidency could swing from Robredo to Marcos and back again, depending on the recount result and the motions for reconsideration that might arise from it.

"Because of this problem, since [sa] batas natin ang next sa line ng succession to the President ay Vice President at after the VP ang Senate President, may nag-propose na idiretso na lang sa Senate president para walang instability tayo in the occupancy sa napakaimportanteng position ng presidente," he said.

The Robredo camp has slammed the committee's reasoning.

"Since when did a pending election protest be the basis of succession to the highest position of the land?" asked Robredo's lead counsel Romulo Macalintal, who said that skipping the Vice President in the order of succession is illegal.

“May kaso sa Supreme Court. Siguro alam nila na hindi magpo-prosper,” Robredo said of Marcos' protest.

Fewer than 100 votes

Robredo also turned the tables on Veloso, noting that there is also a pending poll protest against him, with a much smaller contested margin. 

"Medyo nakakatawa, iyong statement ni Congressman Veloso. Sa akin lang, ipapaalala ko lang sa kaniya na ako, iyong lamang ko kay Mr. Marcos, more than 200,000. Siya, iyong lamang niya sa eleksyon, less than 100. Mayroon ding protest laban sa kaniya. Gusto bang sabihin, dapat sana before natapos iyong protest case, huwag muna siyang umupo bilang congressman, at hindi muna niya puwedeng gawin iyong mandato niya dahil mayroong protest?" Robredo, a lawyer, pointed out.

Robredo beat Marcos, Jr. by 263,473 votes in the 2016 polls.

Filing a poll protest, she added, is part of due process, but it should not hold the mandate of the elected officials hostage.

“Dito sa atin, kapag may eleksyon, maraming mga nananalo na talagang kinakasuhan...kinakasuhan ng mga hindi matanggap iyong resulta noong eleksyon. Pero hindi natin iyon hahayaan na makagambala sa mandatong binibigay sa atin. Ano ba iyong mandato ng Pangalawang Pangulo? Ang mandato ng Pangalawang Pangulo, na kung mayroong mangyari, siya iyong hahalili,” Robredo said, referring to the provisions of the 1987 Constitution.

"Kung aalisin mo iyong mandatong iyon, ano iyong matitira?" she added. — BM, GMA News