Tag: designated survivor

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Ping Lacson Files ‘Presidential Succession Act’ to Prevent Disruption of Government in Case of Disaster, Exceptional Circumstances

A bill by Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson seeks to ensure the government will keep running even in case of a disaster or “exceptional circumstances” where the President and his/her constitutional successors are killed or disabled.

Lacson’s Senate Bill 36 or the “Presidential Succession Act” extends the list of succession beyond the Vice President, Senate President and House Speaker, the current line of presidential succession under the 1987 Constitution.

“This bill … seeks to provide an exhaustive line and order of succession in the event of death, permanent disability, removal from office, or resignation of the Acting President to ensure that the office of the President is never vacated even in exceptional circumstances,” Lacson said in his bill.

In Filipino: ‘Presidential Succession Act’ ni Ping Lacson, Titiyakin ang Patuloy na Takbo ng Pamahalaan kung may Sakuna o ‘Exceptional Circumstances’

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On the Urgency for Congress to Refile and Pass the ‘Designated Survivor’ Bill

Image courtesy: House of Representatives

On July 22, the President will deliver the State of the Nation Address (SONA). The Senate President will be there, and so is the Speaker of the House. Including the Vice President, the line of succession stops at the House Speaker.

Without passing judgement on the ability of our country’s security forces to do their job well – God forbid – if the 2007 bombing of Batasang Pambansa that killed Basilan Congressman Wahab Akbar and a staffer of Gabriela party-list Rep Luzviminda Ilagan would happen again with the direst of consequences, without an enabling law to comply with Sections 7 and 8, Art VII of the 1987 Constitution, we will have a leadership vacuum and a constitutional crisis.

This is exactly the reason why I filed Senate Bill No. 982 in August 2019. I hope it can be refiled and passed by the present Congress.

God bless the Philippines.

*****

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Lacson says Designated Survivor Bill a constitutional mandate [Inquirer]

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer: Former Sen. Ping Lacson said passage of the “Designated Survivor” bill is still necessary, citing a constitutional mandate to appoint a “designated survivor” since the line of succession ends with the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

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Letter to the Editor: Reply to Federico Pascual’s column [Philippine Star]

To Federico Pascual: Please allow us to set the record straight regarding some claims you made in your Sept. 6, 2020 column in The Philippine Star – including the suggestion that Senator Panfilo M. Lacson’s Senate bill enables President Rodrigo Duterte to “designate” who will succeed him.

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Letter to the Editor: Designated survivor bill seeks to extend line of succession – Lacson’s office [Inquirer]

To the Inquirer: Please allow us to set the record straight regarding the column of Prof. Edilberto de Jesus (“Dangerous distractions,” Business Matters, 9/5/20), where he touched on a proposed piece of legislation that aims to avert a potential constitutional crisis and leadership vacuum by extending the constitutional line of succession.

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