Lacson rejects calls for senators to decline possible VP appointment

No senator can direct a colleague to reject a potential appointment from President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. as vice president if Vice President Sara Duterte is impeached and removed from office, Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said.

In a social media post on Tuesday, Lacson challenged calls for senators participating in the impeachment trial to declare their intention to decline an appointment to the vice presidency should the position be vacated through impeachment.

The senator described the suggestion as a “foolish proposition,” arguing that no lawmaker should be told how to respond to such an appointment.

“Somebody had the gall to suggest that my Senate colleagues should decline a VP appointment from PBBM if the impeachment trial ends in conviction. While ‘no comment’ would be the most appropriate response, silence might be misconstrued as interest in the position,” Lacson said.

To illustrate his point, Lacson floated the possibility of Marcos appointing Senator Lito Lapid, citing his public appeal and “good heart.”

He questioned whether Lapid should be compelled to reject such an appointment simply because he had served as a senator-judge in the impeachment proceedings.

Lacson clarified that he was not seeking the vice presidency and remained focused on fulfilling his mandate as a senator until 2031.

The discussion gained public attention after Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero addressed the matter on his podcast on Sunday, 25 October.

Escudero said he would reject an offer to replace Duterte as vice president, citing a potential conflict of interest because senators would decide whether to acquit or convict the vice president.

The impeachment court's presiding officer maintained that he had yet to decide on the case, noting that he had not heard the arguments of Duterte's lawyers.

Escudero also said he had reminded his colleagues to base their decisions on the “law and evidence” to uphold balance and impartiality in the constitutional proceedings.

A day after Escudero's statement, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano took to social media to call on all senator-judges to make a similar declaration.

“That’s right! All of us Senator-Judges should make this declaration,” Cayetano wrote in Filipino.

“It’s essential that in all impeachment proceedings…Senator-Judges are politically neutral and will have no incentive to convict except for evidence that proves the article/s of impeachment,” he added.

In a separate post on Tuesday, Cayetano appeared to soften his position, clarifying that his colleagues remained free to decide for themselves. He urged them to consider the concern before taking offense at the suggestion.

Cayetano also defended Escudero's position, saying the latter's declaration was an expression of his lack of interest in the vice presidency rather than an assumption that Duterte would be convicted.

He added that the president ultimately had the constitutional authority to choose a replacement from either the Senate or the House of Representatives should a vacancy arise.

“The President retains his constitutional authority to nominate a replacement from the Senate or the House if a vacancy arises…a senator remains free to decline. The President can fulfill his duty while a senator follows his conscience,” Cayetano said.

Cayetano also commended his fellow senators for discussing the issue calmly and carefully, emphasizing the importance of senator-judges setting aside potential personal interests in the impeachment proceedings.

“I am glad we can discuss these questions openly, and I appreciate those who take the time to consider them calmly and carefully. We owe the public that much, even when we disagree,” he said.

“Getting offended by a question does not answer it, and making the discussion personal does little to help people understand what is at stake,” he added.

The impeachment trial of Duterte is scheduled to resume on 9 November, following a more than three-week recess to allow the Senate to deliberate on the proposed 2027 national budget.