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MANILA, Philippines – Quezon City Representative Precious Hipólito Castelo withdrew the bill he previously introduced to authorize the president to name a temporary successor from among cabinet members in the event of successors on the line. of succession identified by the Constitution could not assume the presidency.
In a letter addressed to the Secretary General of the Chamber, José Luis Montales, Castelo requested the “withdrawal and permanent filing” of House Bill No. 4062 or the “Presidential Succession Law” presented in August 2019.
“Please note that the Constitutional Amendments Committee has not acted on said bill since the date of its presentation,” Castelo said in the letter.
In a separate statement, Castelo said his decision to withdraw the bill seeks to erase any impression that he supports ignoring or discarding the constitutional line of succession to the presidency.
Under the 1987 Constitution, the line of presidential succession only includes the vice president, the president of the Senate, and the speaker of the House.
“That is not so, far from it. The bill does not eliminate the line of succession. I am in favor of respecting that provision of the Constitution and the line of succession to the highest office, ”said Castelo.
Under the Castelo bill, the president has the power to appoint a successor from among his cabinet members in the event that all constitutional successors die or are unable to serve as chief executive officer.
In his explanatory note, Castelo cited that in the United States, during the Cold War era, the practice was to keep a “designated successor” away from events where numerous high-ranking officials gathered.
“Since our Constitution does not establish the same rule, we can only imagine how tragic the outcome will be if the unthinkable happens. The absence of a leader can lead to anarchy and disorder, and worse, anarchy, ”said the legislator.
Senator Panfilo Lacson also introduced a similar bill in the upper house.
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