Duterte ‘plan’ to run as VP in ’22 draws mixed reactions

FOLLOWING President Duterte’s disclosure that he intends to run as vice president in the May 2022 elections, some House members reminded the Chief Executive that the 1987 Constitution does not provide an incumbent vice president any immunity from suit.

House Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate and Bayan Muna Chairman Neri Colmenares issued the statement after President Duterte announced his plan for the vice presidential post in “order to escape accountability.”

They called President Duterte’s opinion on immunity legally insane and his reason for “running shameless.”

“His [Duterte] statement is a false self-assurance just to pander himself and his allies. He knows that no such immunity is given to a vice president —he is aware of this truism just like he knows then in 2016 while campaigning for the presidency that he will not really jetski himself to the Spratlys,” said Zarate, a Davao-based party-list lawmaker.

“Just as I said before, a vice president is not immune from suit. Remember VP [Jejomar] Binay was sued before for alleged graft. He is impeachable but not immune from suit. Even the President, under the Rome Statute of the ICC [International Criminal Court] is not immune from suit,” said Zarate.

Last Sunday, state-owned media reported that at least 24 provincial governors supported Pdp-laban’s resolution urging President Duterte to run for vice president in next year’s elections. For his part, Colmenares said “President Duterte’s declaration to run for the vice presidency in order to escape imprisonment after his term ends is shameless and legally insane.”

“Worse, not only is his running for vice president a violation of the Constitution, but a vice president is not even assured of immunity from suit. A person can only be President of the Philippines once and President Duterte cannot do indirectly what he is prohibited from doing directly,” he added.

While the 1973 Constitution during martial law expressly provided that the President and his subordinates are immune from suit, Colmenares said this immunity was dropped in the 1987 Constitution, saying “there is even no presidential immunity under the 1987 Constitution.”

Calling it a “blatant greed for power,” Bay an Muna also criticized the reported du te rt e-d ute rte tandem being pushed by the administration for the 2022 national and local elections.

The group said the tandem is not merely a “political dynasty but also a clear intent to establish a monarchy.”

Bayan Muna Rep. Ferdinand Gaite criticized the Hugpong ng Pagbabago for its alleged circumvention of the law when its spokesperson Anthony del Rosario said that should President Duterte and her daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte indeed run and win the two highest position in the government next year, this still cannot be considered as political dynasty.

Gaite said the law clearly prohibits the President to aspire a top executive position after his term ends, and the law also prohibits political dynasties.

“The Duterte family would be brazenly violating several provisions of the Philippine Constitution if they push for this Duterte-duterte tandem. Obviously, this family is willing to throw away our Constitution in the trash just to remain in power. Is this the kind of leadership that we want? Pamumunong walang respeto sa Saligang Batas, pamumunong ganid sa kapangyarihan?” Gaite added.

1Sambayan Convener Atty. Howard Calleja earlier said that the Filipino people will reject the Duterte-duterte tandem in 2022 presidential elections because this is clearly an insult to the Filipinos.

“We feel that this is an insult to the Filipino people; and we feel that whatever happens, we trust the Filipino people will see this as a selfish move—nothing to the benefit of the people, but only to perpetuate power to one family,” Calleja said.

Just ‘teasing’

MEANWHILE, administration Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III sought to play down Monday brewing a Palace-triggered controversy, saying President Duterte was “just teasing” in divulging plans to run for vice president, an option seen to allow Duterte to dodge prosecution at the end of his term.

The senator said President Duterte was simply gauging the public pulse, as well as the reaction of the legal community to find out who are smart and who are not.

Pimentel pointed out that the President, being a lawyer and long time city fiscal, would know there is no provision in the Constitution granting the vice president immunity from suit.

According to Pimentel, while Duterte is not likely to waste time reading the entire Pdp-laban party constitution, he affirmed that “the President reads the Constitution.”