Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero said on Tuesday, Feb. 25, that he's not interested in taking up the mantle of the second highest position in the land.
"Ang pangit naman nun sa panlasa. Kami ang magdedesisyon kaugnay niyan tapos yun pala interesado ako at gusto ko pala (That's in poor taste. We’re the ones who will decide about that, but it turns out I’m actually interested and I like it)," he said in a press conference in Sorsogon when asked regarding the possibility of replacing Vice President Sara Duterte if she gets impeached.
"So ngayon pa lang sinasabi ko na hindi ako interesado at tatanggihan ko yun kung inalok man sa akin yun. Hindi tama at hindi dapat ginagawa yun (So, let me say this now—I’m not interested, and I will reject it if it’s ever offered to me. It’s not right, and it shouldn’t be done)," he added.
For Escudero, perhaps this should also be the case on the part of the House of Representatives since the selection will come from Congress. He added that those who signed and are pushing for this probably shouldn't consider the post, as they might later be accused of having done it solely for their own interests and desires.
"So prudence is the better part of valor, 'delikadesa' is rarely seen in government but I think we can always go back to it and rekindle and refresh it in the minds of our people," he added.
He explained that once that if the Vice President is impeached, the replacement will be chosen by the President from among the members of Congress and it does not automatically go to the Senate President.
"Hindi porke’t number three ako, number two ang VP at number 1 ang President, number 4 ang Speaker – yung three ang papalit sa two. Hindi (It's not simply because I’m number three, the VP is number two, the President is number one, and the Speaker is number four, it doesn’t mean number three replaces number two. That’s not how it works)," he stated.
He mentioned that the President will select someone from Congress, and the requirements to become Vice President are the same as those for becoming a congressman or senator, except for one—age. A congressman must be at least 25 years old, a senator 35, and the minimum age for the president and vice president is 40.
Therefore, the President can only choose a congressman or senator who is 40 years old or older.