House bill wants acting president in case of poll failure

MANILA, Philippines - A bill in the House of Representatives seeks to name an acting president in case of a failure of elections after President Arroyo’s term ends on June 30 next year.

Isabela Rep. Giorgidi Aggabao, House committee on revision of laws chairman, said they have recommended the bill’s approval.

Nueva Ecija Rep. Edno Joson, the bill’s author, said the bill aims to prevent a power vacuum even for a second.

“There will be someone who will lead the country and from whom the military, the police and the bureaucracy can take orders,” he said.

As proposed, if a failure of elections occurs, the 12 remaining senators, in the order of the number of votes they obtained in the 2007 elections, from the highest to the lowest, would act as transition leader until the president or his constitutional successors have been determined.

If none of the 12 senators, whose term ends on June 30, 2013, is willing to act as transition leader, the Supreme Court justices, in order of seniority, would assume the role.

Loren Legarda topped the senatorial elections two years ago, followed by Francis Escudero, Panfilo Lacson, Manuel Villar, Francis Pangilinan, Benigno Aquino III, Edgardo Angara, Alan Peter Cayetano, Joker Arroyo, Gregorio Honasan, Antonio Trillanes IV, and Juan Miguel Zubiri.

There are proposals that senators eyeing the presidency and the vice presidency in next year’s elections should not be included in the expanded line of succession to the highest office.

Among the 12 senators elected in 2007, Legarda, Escudero, Villar, Roxas, and Aquino are eyeing either the presidency or vice presidency next year.

Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. said it would be anomalous for an acting president to preside over the determination of the winning president in an election in which he or she is a candidate.

It would be more anomalous for a senator to act as president if he or he is a candidate in the presidential election, he added.

Joson said the fastest way of resolving the power vacuum issue is for Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile to step down and give way to one of his 12 peers whose term of office ends in 2013.

“That way, there will be a Senate president who can act as transition leader in case of no-el or failure of elections next year,” he said.

The Constitution provides that in case of a vacancy in the presidency, the vice president, Senate president and speaker of the House, in that order, will assume office as acting president.

However, in case of an election failure, no vice president, Senate president or speaker would have been elected.