VP ‘incapacitated,’ says Gadon

A presidential adviser on Wednesday suggested that Congress declare Vice President Sara Duterte incapacitated due to her recent statements distancing herself from the Marcos administration and threatening President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

In a statement, Presidential Adviser on Poverty Alleviation Secretary Larry Gadon said there are ways to remove the Vice President from her office — aside from impeachment, Congress can declare the Vice President is incapacitated.

“Because the role of our Vice President according to our Constitution is to assist the President in his performance of his duties and to perform such other functions as may be assigned by the President,” Gadon said.

“How could she assist the President when in fact she made pronouncements that she will no longer cooperate and assist the President? And openly expressed that she (is imagining) wishes to cut the head of our President,” he added.

By distancing herself from her supposed role under the Constitution and declaring that she will no longer help or cooperate with the President, Gadon said, Vice President Sara “made herself incapacitated.”

If that would happen, Gadon cites the “rule on succession” under the Constitution that mandated the Senate President to be the Vice President and assume all her role.

He added that declaring the Vice President incapacitated only lies in the power of Congress.