House leader: If BBM resigns, Sara must too

Calls for the resignation of President Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte have grown louder in light of explosive revelations linking them to the multi-billion-peso flood control corruption scandal. 

The recent video exposé of former Ako Bicol Representative Elizaldy Co, in which he explicitly accused Marcos of orchestrating the insertion of P100 billion in this year’s budget, has fueled the clamor for the President to step down from office. 

However, House Deputy Minority Leader Antonio Tinio asserted that Duterte should also resign, along with Marcos, because as a potential successor, she cannot lead the country when she herself has traces of corruption. 

“Because the vice president already had issues even before, [like] the P612.5 million confidential funds,” he said in Filipino in an interview on Sunday.

“Actually, there is another issue that has not been discussed much: her acceptance of campaign donations from contractors in the 2022 elections,” he added. 

A recent report by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) revealed that Duterte received P19.9 million in paid advertising from Esdveco Realty Corp. for her vice presidential campaign. 

The owner of the firm is reportedly Glenn Escandor, a Davao-based construction magnate and allegedly a long-time friend of the Dutertes. 

Escandor is one of the top private contractors of government-funded projects. His other firm, Genesis88 Construction Inc., bagged public works contracts worth a staggering P2.9 billion, based on the Sumbong sa Pangulo Website. 

This, despite the Omnibus Election Code, prohibits those seeking public office from accepting campaign contributions from entities that do business with the government.

The report also disclosed that Marcos was a recipient of donations from Rudhil Construction & Enterprises Inc. and Jonathan Quirante, the owner of Cebu-based Quirante Construction Corp., donating P20 million and P1 million, respectively. 

Both contractors saw a rapid increase in government contracts following the May 2022 elections, according to the report.

Sotto or Dy as acting president?

The Constitution mandates that the vice president take over in the event of the president's removal, resignation, or death. 

Article 7, Section 8 of the Constitution also includes the Senate President and the House Speaker in the presidential succession in the event that the vice president also suffers the same fate. 

Three days after the vacancy of the two highest offices, Congress should enact a law within seven days calling for a special election for the new president and vice president. 

The special election must take place within 40 to 60 days.

“The Constitution itself stipulates that if the president and vice president are removed, there will be a transition government. That's already in the Constitution. It wasn't invented or pulled out of thin air by, for example, the Makabayan bloc,” Tinio pointed out. 

The Makabayan bloc, comprising several progressive coalitions, has contended that the calls for resignation should apply to both Marcos and Duterte, citing their respective roles in alleged corruption. 

Tinio, who is also a member of the Makabayan bloc, argued that Congress must ensure that potential presidential and vice presidential candidates have clean records, free of any traces of corruption. 

The flood control scam has spawned several anti-corruption efforts, such as Artikulo Onse, which is also calling to remove both officials from office.