The real 2nd in command

Vice President Sara Duterte has been designated anew as officer-in-charge (OIC) while President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) is on official trips abroad. The Vice President, who is also concurrently the Secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd), was empowered to “take care of the day-to-day operations in the Office of the President.” As the OIC, VP Duterte was also assigned to “oversee the general administration of the Executive Department.”

The VP was first designated OIC during PBBM’s state visits to Indonesia and Singapore last Sept.4-7. VP Duterte has been multi-tasking already as OIC since Sunday (Sept.18) when PBBM flew for the United States and won’t be back until Sept.24. The VP’s being OIC is a little longer by three days more.

So by the second time around, it is already a walk in the park for VP Duterte to assume as OIC.

To the credit of PBBM, the Chief Executive lived up with his election campaign promise to run the government along with VP Duterte as UniTeam partners.

Presumably, the same Special Order (SO) No. 75 issued on Sept. 2 still applies to VP Duterte’s designation as OIC while PBBM is in the US. This was first issued two days before the President went to Indonesia and Singapore. If necessary, SO 75 provided that VP Duterte may “act for and on behalf of the President, except on matters that the President is required by the Constitution to act in person, during this time that the President is outside the Philippines.”

SO 75 further states that: “all acts of the Vice President for and on behalf of the President pursuant to this Order shall be deemed acts of the President unless disapproved or reprobated by the President.” Thus, all Executive Departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the government were enjoined to assist VP Duterte in the discharge of her functions as OIC.

Ironically, SO 75 was signed by then Executive Secretary Victor “Vic” Rodriguez. In the past administrations, the previous presidents designated his or her Executive Secretary as OIC whenever he or she embarked on state visits and other official trips abroad.

It will be dreadful to think Rodriguez if he was designated OIC given his propensity for over reaching his powers. The strings of scandals that rocked the first 100 days of the Marcos presidency were mostly self-inflicted. Many of which pointed to the direction of Rodriguez. First off, close relatives of Rodriguez got appointed in key government posts that stirred unnecessary controversy for the fledgling administration.

Then came the sugar import scandal where no less than Rodriguez figured prominently. Authorized by the Memorandum Order (MO) issued by Rodriguez “to sign for and in behalf of the President,” former Agriculture Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian allowed the sugar import. That MO got Sebastian and the rest of the Sugar Regulatory Authority into trouble, prompting all of them to subsequently resign. The last straw, so to speak, was the release of spurious presidential appointment of a new Immigration commissioner.

It was no surprise Rodriguez finally accepted his fate to be demoted to head the resurrected Office of the Presidential Chief of Staff (OPCOS). As of this writing, there is no official announcement yet on who will be appointed to replace Rodriguez. Several names have been floating around.

The frontrunner to become the new Executive Secretary of PBBM is retired Supreme Court Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin. Former president Rodrigo Duterte appointed Bersamin as Chief Justice of the High Court and served from 2018-2019. The 72-year-old Bersamin is currently the chairman of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

Bersamin figured prominently for having voted with the majority ruling of the SC handed down on Nov.8, 2016 dismissed petitions filed by anti-Marcos groups and personalities. The petitioners sought the intervention of the SC to block ex-President Duterte’s decision to allow the burial of the late president Ferdinand Marcos Sr. at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB).”

In his own concurring opinion on the ruling, Bersamin argued: “President Duterte of his discretion upon a matter under his control like the interment of the remains of President Marcos in the LNMB is beyond review by the Court. He has not thereby transgressed any legal boundaries.” Bersamin further cited: “President Marcos – being… a two-term President of the Philippines, a Medal of Valor awardee, a veteran of World War II, a former Senator and Senate President, and a former Congressman, by any of which was qualified to have his remains be interred in the LNMB.”

The late namesake father of PBBM would have been 105 years old last Sept.11.

One of the last few official documents issued by Rodriguez was Proclamation No. 35, which declared Sept. 12 as a “special non-working holiday” in Ilocos Norte, the birthplace of the elder Marcos. “By authority of the President,” Rodriguez signed Proclamation No. 53 on Sept. 7. The Office of the President released the Proclamation the next day, informing Ilocos Norte Gov. Matthew Joseph Manotoc, the son of Sen. Imee Marcos, of the non-working holiday in the province.

PBBM himself just celebrated his 65th birthday last Sept.13. Younger sister Irene turned 62 years old last Sept.16. Incidentally, PBBM designated Irene and her husband Gregorio Araneta as the Philippine representatives to the state funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II held in London last Monday.

And today, Sept. 21 marks the 50th anniversary of martial law imposition. Fortunately, PBBM is out of the country and far away from being bitterly reminded of the cases of alleged human rights abuses and plunder filed against his late father.

Rodriguez should have read clearly the signs. While dubbed as the “little president,” the ES – like the rest of Cabinet “alter egos” of the President – serve at the pleasure, trust and confidence of the appointing authority.

By virtue though of our country’s 1987 Constitution, the designated successor of the President as the second highest elected official of the land is the real second in command.