Palace: There’s ‘wisdom’ in Lacson’s ‘designated survivor’ bill

Malacañang on Wednesday expressed openness to the proposal of Senator Panfilo Lacson to have a designated successor in case the top four leaders of the Philippine government perish due to “exceptional circumstances” such as terrorist attacks.

In an interview with CNN-Philippines, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Lacson’s bill raised the “scenario that should be addressed.”

“We have a clear line of succession all the way down to the House Speaker but what happens in fact, if similar to what happened in the TV series [where] everyone perishes,” Roque said.

“Perhaps there is definitely wisdom in the bill filed by Senator Lacson but he would now have to find a counterpart measure in the House because the author in the House has withdrawn her authorship of the bill.”

Under Lacson’s bill, the following shall assume the powers and duties of the Office of the President until the following election, in case all other successors indicated in the Constitution dies or become permanently disabled:

• the most senior senator, based on the length of service in the Senate;
• the most senior House member based on the length of service in the House of Representatives;
• the member of the Cabinet designated by the President

The President shall also designate a member of the Cabinet to be sequestered in a secret and secure location before any public or private activity, event, or function which will be attended by the President, Vice President and other ranking officials.

Lacson said the Acting President's official actions pertaining to the day-to-day operations 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.

On Sunday, Quezon City Representative Precious Hipolito Castelo withdrew her similar bill in the House of Representatives after screenshots of her proposed measure went viral on social media.

She said the bill's withdrawal was meant to erase the impression that she was ignoring the line of succession to the presidency, which includes the Vice President, the Senate President, and the House Speaker. — RSJ, GMA News