Home » News » Opinions and Editorials » Very promising ‘vice presidentiables’
The vice president may be the second-highest position in government, but the Constitution is clear on its only official function: To assume the presidency when needed.
Can the president appoint the vice president to the cabinet or to perform other functions? Sure. But whatever the president tells the vice president to do is optional. The Constitution does not require the president to appoint the vice president to any post. Heck, the vice president may also reject any appointment or resign from an appointment.
The only budget that the vice president can have direct access to is the budget of the Office of the Vice President, which is submitted to and subject to the approval of Congress. It is too small a budget to launch any “vice- presidential program,” and even if that were possible, would need the approval of the President.
Which brings us to the problem of Chiz Escudero, Bongbong Marcos, Leni Robredo, Alan Peter Cayetano, Gringo Honasan, and Antonio Trillanes — and the tall promises they are making to voters. One of them will eventually win but it is absolutely impossible for the winner to implement any or all of those promises.
Because they are aspiring to that position, these candidates have an obligation to be honest about the limited powers and prerogatives of the vice president.
In fact, given the long history of the country having Presidents and Vice Presidents from opposing parties, the candidates should show their credentials for being bipartisan or multipartisan, of being ready to work with and support a President who may not belong to the same party, and finally, being a good acting president when the circumstances call for it.
The trouble with the vice presidency is often less about whoever is the vice president. It is often about the fears of the president’s own men who are scared of losing their principal’s powers — and consequently their own. It is not so much about the supposed inadequacy of Noli de Castro or the alleged corruption of Jejomar Binay under the current regime. The presidents who they served and others angling for the presidency never wanted either De Castro or Binay to have any chance to be president.
The truth is, if President BS Aquino dies or becomes incapable of performing his duties at any time between now and June 30, 2016, Binay shall be sworn in as acting president. Those who have an axe to grind against Binay, or those who profoundly believe he should be put on trial for plunder, cannot suspend the Constitution just to stop Binay from performing the only official duty he has under the Constitution. Besides, the Constitution does not say that the vice president shall only succeed the president only when it satisfies the moral grandstanding, whim, and caprice of some citizens.
Is it fair to criticize Binay for not doing even 10 percent of his platform while he is the vice president? Totally unfair. We never had an Aquino-Binay administration. Yes, Aquino accommodated Binay to perform certain functions and yes, we have every right and duty to question and assess Binay’s performance on those functions. Binay can try — and we could be sure he did — to get to Aquino’s ear about implementing some of his ideas, but there’s no evidence that Aquino ever granted any big powers or prerogatives to enable those ideas.
We only have one president at any one time. The Constitution provides for a vice president, whose only task is to be a spare tire. No special powers or special functions. Just be ready in case he is needed by the president or he needs to be acting president. We should be clear about this as we choose who among the “very promising” aspirants would get our vote for vice president.
It is important to note that the dictator Ferdinand Marcos abolished the vice presidency, in a transparent show of paranoia, insecurity, and arrogance. Because in his tyrannical mind, only he can be the leader and there’s no one else who could come close. (Maybe Imelda but she was already the First Lady.) It is thus ironic to see the son and namesake of the dictator now come forward to claim for himself a position his father once abolished.
That Bongbong Marcos has never acknowledged and continues to deny the terrorism and thievery of dictatorship is not at all surprising. Maganda talaga ang buhay nung martial law. Lives were better under martial law, the lives of the Marcoses specifically. He could only remember the Oxford and Harvard years, paid for most probably by ill-gotten wealth, and the parties his mother organized amid the squalor of the 1970s and early 1980s. We can’t have a vice president who has this state of mind, and whose sources of campaign funds were at the very least questionable. Baka pera pa nga ng taumbayan yun, since he has actively opposed moves of government to seize the Marcoses’ ill-gotten wealth and properties.
Bongbong Marcos thus disqualifies himself from the vice presidency and we should take him out of our shortlists. For the others, reject all their promises. Choose who would be the best substitute player or the best supporting cast member. No promises required.
P.S. Hoping CNN Philippines and BusinessMirror would educate the candidates and the voters about the position of vice president when they host the only official – vice presidential debate in this election season.
Follow me on Twitter @tonyocruz and check out my blog tonyocruz.com
Very promising ‘vice presidentiables’
Vice-presidential candidates are making big promises to voters, but they and their supporters don’t tell the truth about the position of vice president.The vice president may be the second-highest position in government, but the Constitution is clear on its only official function: To assume the presidency when needed.
Can the president appoint the vice president to the cabinet or to perform other functions? Sure. But whatever the president tells the vice president to do is optional. The Constitution does not require the president to appoint the vice president to any post. Heck, the vice president may also reject any appointment or resign from an appointment.
The only budget that the vice president can have direct access to is the budget of the Office of the Vice President, which is submitted to and subject to the approval of Congress. It is too small a budget to launch any “vice- presidential program,” and even if that were possible, would need the approval of the President.
Which brings us to the problem of Chiz Escudero, Bongbong Marcos, Leni Robredo, Alan Peter Cayetano, Gringo Honasan, and Antonio Trillanes — and the tall promises they are making to voters. One of them will eventually win but it is absolutely impossible for the winner to implement any or all of those promises.
Because they are aspiring to that position, these candidates have an obligation to be honest about the limited powers and prerogatives of the vice president.
In fact, given the long history of the country having Presidents and Vice Presidents from opposing parties, the candidates should show their credentials for being bipartisan or multipartisan, of being ready to work with and support a President who may not belong to the same party, and finally, being a good acting president when the circumstances call for it.
The trouble with the vice presidency is often less about whoever is the vice president. It is often about the fears of the president’s own men who are scared of losing their principal’s powers — and consequently their own. It is not so much about the supposed inadequacy of Noli de Castro or the alleged corruption of Jejomar Binay under the current regime. The presidents who they served and others angling for the presidency never wanted either De Castro or Binay to have any chance to be president.
The truth is, if President BS Aquino dies or becomes incapable of performing his duties at any time between now and June 30, 2016, Binay shall be sworn in as acting president. Those who have an axe to grind against Binay, or those who profoundly believe he should be put on trial for plunder, cannot suspend the Constitution just to stop Binay from performing the only official duty he has under the Constitution. Besides, the Constitution does not say that the vice president shall only succeed the president only when it satisfies the moral grandstanding, whim, and caprice of some citizens.
Is it fair to criticize Binay for not doing even 10 percent of his platform while he is the vice president? Totally unfair. We never had an Aquino-Binay administration. Yes, Aquino accommodated Binay to perform certain functions and yes, we have every right and duty to question and assess Binay’s performance on those functions. Binay can try — and we could be sure he did — to get to Aquino’s ear about implementing some of his ideas, but there’s no evidence that Aquino ever granted any big powers or prerogatives to enable those ideas.
We only have one president at any one time. The Constitution provides for a vice president, whose only task is to be a spare tire. No special powers or special functions. Just be ready in case he is needed by the president or he needs to be acting president. We should be clear about this as we choose who among the “very promising” aspirants would get our vote for vice president.
It is important to note that the dictator Ferdinand Marcos abolished the vice presidency, in a transparent show of paranoia, insecurity, and arrogance. Because in his tyrannical mind, only he can be the leader and there’s no one else who could come close. (Maybe Imelda but she was already the First Lady.) It is thus ironic to see the son and namesake of the dictator now come forward to claim for himself a position his father once abolished.
That Bongbong Marcos has never acknowledged and continues to deny the terrorism and thievery of dictatorship is not at all surprising. Maganda talaga ang buhay nung martial law. Lives were better under martial law, the lives of the Marcoses specifically. He could only remember the Oxford and Harvard years, paid for most probably by ill-gotten wealth, and the parties his mother organized amid the squalor of the 1970s and early 1980s. We can’t have a vice president who has this state of mind, and whose sources of campaign funds were at the very least questionable. Baka pera pa nga ng taumbayan yun, since he has actively opposed moves of government to seize the Marcoses’ ill-gotten wealth and properties.
Bongbong Marcos thus disqualifies himself from the vice presidency and we should take him out of our shortlists. For the others, reject all their promises. Choose who would be the best substitute player or the best supporting cast member. No promises required.
P.S. Hoping CNN Philippines and BusinessMirror would educate the candidates and the voters about the position of vice president when they host the only official – vice presidential debate in this election season.
Follow me on Twitter @tonyocruz and check out my blog tonyocruz.com
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