This is a rhetorical statement but a good soundbite nevertheless. She is the constitutional successor to the President not needing an appointment as the designated survivor, which by the way is still a pending legislative measure in Congress.
Not only is it a serious matter. The 1987 Constitution actually provides that Congress pass a law in this regard. And for good reason – the line of succession stops at the Speaker of the House of Representatives. God forbid, under an extremely exceptional event that a terrorist attack had wiped out all the 4 highest elected officials, we could have a leadership, hence a constitutional crisis.
In August 2019, I filed Senate Bill 982 to extend the line of succession beyond that of the Speaker. Unfortunately, the bill didn’t even reach the plenary debates in the Upper Chamber. Worse, its counterpart bill in the House (HB 4062) was withdrawn by its author.
Related: Lacson Files ‘Designated Survivor’ Bill to Ensure Gov’t Stability
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