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MANILA, Philippines – Senator Panfilo Lacson urged colleagues Monday to act swiftly on a bill he had introduced authorizing the president to appoint a cabinet member who will assume the highest elective office in the country if any of the constitutional successors He can not do it.
Lacson, the chairman of the Senate defense committee, reiterated that Senate Bill No. 982 would help prevent a possible “constitutional crisis and leadership vacuum” in the event that the three legal successors under the 1987 Constitution : the Vice President, the President of the Senate and the Speaker Chamber: could not assume the presidency.
Under the measure introduced in August 2019, the line of succession would be expanded to include the highest ranking senator and representative based on their seniority in the Senate and House, respectively, and the cabinet member chosen by the president.
Lacson made the appeal in the wake of the latest suicide bombing incident in Jolo, Sulu, and President Duterte’s admission that Barrett’s esophagus condition was “approaching stage one cancer.”
The move was inspired by the Netflix series “Designated Survivor” starring actor Kiefer Sutherland.
As depicted in the political thriller, Lacson’s move would allow the president to select a cabinet member who would be kept in a hidden and safe location prior to a public or private event attended by the country’s highest-ranking government officials.
Lacson said the recent terrorist attacks should prompt Congress to discuss extending the line of succession to the presidency.
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