If the President is incapacitated

There is a rumor that the President has stage 4 colon cancer. It all started when Harry Roque maliciously posted a photo of the President on social media, pointing out a supposed square bulge near his stomach area and implying that it was a colostomy bag.

As expected, Malacañang immediately dismissed this claim as fake news, explaining that the Chief Executive was actually recovering from diverticulitis, a disease we know little about but which is not cancer and is not life-threatening.

What is unfortunate, though, is that his detractors wish the rumor were actually true. They hope he dies before his term ends so that the Vice President can replace him.

Admittedly, while I understand where these people are coming from, the fact that they lack civility in discussing this issue certainly leaves a bad taste in the mouth. But that is how politicized our people have become. And there lies the rub.

Anyway, assuming that the rumor turns out to be true, it actually has far-reaching implications, at least from a legal standpoint.

This means the President would soon become incapacitated and unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. As such, he can, under the law, voluntarily send a written declaration to Congress informing them of his incapacity, or the Vice President and the majority of the Cabinet can send such notice.

Either way, Sara gets to assume the post of President, at least temporarily. If he dies, it becomes final. If he does not and subsequently recovers, he can legally return to the post, but by that time, a lot of things would have already happened. So, it would not be that easy.

So it makes sense for both houses to facilitate the impeachment case so that she can be removed and perpetually disqualified from running for office. This is necessary so that, in the event BBM becomes fully incapacitated or dies, she would not be able to take over.

In effect, Tito Sotto, or whoever the Senate President is, can assume office until an election is once again called for that purpose. If this happens, Marcos and his allies can still control the outcome.

Remember that impeachment is actually a numbers game. Regardless of the available pieces of evidence, or even the lack thereof, decisions are based more on political considerations than anything else. So, it is nothing but a political exercise that seeks simply to remove, not really to punish.

At any rate, whether or not BBM finishes his term, there are strong incentives for Sara’s enemies to impeach and convict her. For if she wins — and most likely she would — all hell will break loose.