The vice president should be ready at all times to take over as the country’s leader in the event something bad happens to the president.
Senator Panfilo M. Lacson stressed this Wednesday in the wake of the revelation of President Duterte that the condition of his Barrett’s esophagus was “nearing stage one cancer.”
“Kailangan naka-ready ang VP (vice president) to take over just in case something bad happens (That is why the Vice President must always be ready…),” said Lacson, chairman of the Senate national defense and security committee.
Currently, the Philippines No. 2 leader is Vice President Leni Robredo.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque tried to play down Duterte’s revelation, saying the advice given to the President to stop drinking or risk having cancer was given to him by his doctors even before he became the country’s chief executive.
But Lacson said the health of President Duterte is the concern of the entire Filipino nation.
Because of the President’s admission on the state of his health, Lacson said that “speculations will never stop as far as the President or any President for that matter.”
“Ang health issue ng isang Pangulo, whoever he is, is the concern of the entire Filipino nation. Siya ang President, eh. Kaya di maaalis ang speculation, pag-alala, o sabihin na natin ang mga kontra baka nananalangin pa. So hindi maaalis yan. After all, Presidente siya ng Pilipinas so maski sabihing hindi serious, di pa rin matitigil (The health issue of a President, whoever he is, is the concern of the entire Filipino nation. He is the President so no one could be stopped from speculating. Those against him may even pray . After all, he is the President of the Philippines. So even if his condition is not serious, speculations will not stop),” Lacson told Senate reporters,
Queried on whether the President’s health condition would not affect him, he said Duterte remains the President as long as he is not incapacitated based on the 1987 Constitution.
“I remember during the time of PFVR (President Fidel V. Ramos) when he underwent carotid operation. I was with Vice President Joseph Estrada was summoned by the National Security Adviser at the time while undergoing carotid surgery,” he said.
“So yan ang alam kong situation. Kaya nga dapat ang health ng Pangulo laging binabantayan ng mga tao yan. Hindi unusual na maraming nag-speculate sa health ng isang Pangulo whether here or anywhere else (That’s the situation I know. That is why the people should be constantly watching the health of the President. It is not unusual for people to speculate on the health of the President, whether here or anywhere else),” he pointed out.