Former Senator Rene Saguisag, in his latest column, insisted that President Rodrigo Duterte is not allowed by the law to run as Vice President in the 2022 elections.
Saguisag made the statements after survey firm Publicus Asia Inc. (PAI) announced that the top choice of the people of Mindanao and Visayas is the tandem between Davao City Mayor Inday Sara and President Rodrigo Duterte.
“I teach that a Prez cannot run for Veep as he may not do indirectly what he cannot do directly. His intent is to be Prez again but reelection is constitutionally interdicted,” said Saguisag.
However, Saguisag is not confident that the justices of the Supreme Court would block the possible attempt of Duterte to run for election as Vice President.
“But again, the terrorized judiciary may rule that such unconstitutional circumvention of the framers’ intent is allowed,” he said.
On Thursday, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo reacted also in the said survey, saying that the possibilities are “limitless” for a President to run as Vice President after his term ends.
However, Panelo explained that the final decision is still up to the President if he still wanted to enter politics again.
“I’m not surprised. That has been done before in the City of Davao when both of them ran as mayor and vice mayor,” Panelo said.
The Spokesperson said that the President only “smiled” when he was informed about the survey results.
In the survey by Publicus Asia called PAHAYAG 2019, it showed that VisMin voters wanted Davao City mayor Inday Sara Duterte to become the next President of the Philippines with 35.1%.
Following Duterte-Carpio were Senator Grace Poe-Llamanzares (11%), Manila City Mayor Francis “Isko Moreno” Domagoso (7.8%), Senator Manny Pacquiao (5.5%), House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano (4.6%), and Senator Christopher “Bong” Go (4.5%).
Meanwhile, PAI also released the result of their survey in the Vice Presidential race and surprisingly, President Rodrigo Duterte, the father of Inday Sara was included in the list.
It showed that President Duterte garnered 11.6% while Inday Sara received 11.5% which is almost a tie.
Meanwhile, Moreno is in third place who garnered 9.85% of votes.