Mrs. Arroyo is scheduled to go on a nationwide broadcast to relay to the public her government’s agenda, which could include the name of the next vice president.
Executive Secretary Renato de Villa said yesterday that President Arroyo will have to name her vice president before Congress adjourns on Feb. 9 to prepare for the May elections.
In an interview over dzMM, De Villa said the 1987 Constitution requires that the Senate should confirm the Chief Executive’s nomination for vice president.
Meanwhile, Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin said he favors no particular candidate for the second highest position in the land, saying the common ground should be the pursuit of political stability.
"It is best that we look for our common concern, i.e., our love for our country and reconciliation based on justice," Sin said in a one-page statement, adding that the issue of the vice presidency, like the possible exile of deposed President Joseph Estrada, should not polarize society.
De Villa pointed out that Mrs. Arroyo needs to name her vice president so that she can submit her nomination to the Senate before it goes on recess. A number of senators will be filing their certificates of candidacy on or before Feb. 12, the deadline.
"We need to do this before the recess of Congress because our Constitution says that once she makes a choice, the name has to be sent to the Senate for confirmation," De Villa said.
But the opinion of the executive secretary, who is not a lawyer, was contested by a Malacañang counsel.
Refusing to be named, the lawyer told The STAR that he doubts if the vice presidential nominee needs to pass Senate muster since there has been no precedent.
"This is the first time that we have in our country an appointed vice president, so there is no precedent yet whether the appointment... has to go through the confirmation process," the Palace lawyer said.
Mrs. Arroyo earlier said that her vice president would also serve as secretary of foreign affairs. Two of the leading contenders for the post are Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr. and Sen. Teofisto Guingona, both from Mindanao.
Lakas leaders are pushing for their partymate, Guingona, while many cause-oriented groups as well as academe are batting for Pimentel of PDP-Laban.
The importance of the position can never be over-emphasized, since Mrs. Arroyo was a vice president herself before she assumed the presidency following the breakdown of the Estrada administration.
"Technically, there is no vacancy of the vice presidency because of the pending legal question raised before the Supreme Court on President Arroyo’s being merely designated ‘acting’ president by President Estrada," the lawyer said.
This was the reason why, the source said, the Arroyo administration is hedging on the appointment of the vice president.
The President admitted earlier that she was having difficulty deciding whom to choose as her vice president.
She expressed hope, though, that Filipinos will accept and respect her choice once she makes her final decision. She also refused to give herself a deadline.
"Until I make my decision, it’s really better to avoid speculations," she said. "And I hope when it’s made, people will understand."
She said she is praying for Divine Guidance to make the right choice.
Cardinal Sin also is praying that Mrs. Arroyo will be guided by the Holy Spirit and the welfare of the country.
In a statement released yesterday, Sin said he favors no particular candidate for vice president.
"I have no formal recommendation for the vacant position of the Vice President. The nominees presented so far are all persons of good character and integrity. They are commendable for the position," he said.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) also said it favors no one for the hotly contested position.
"As in the past the CBCP deliberately and consistently refrains from endorsing the candidacy of any particular candidate for any particular office. This would not be wise in normal cases for the CBCP to do so," said CBCP president Archbishop Orlando Quevedo. – With reports from Marichu Villanueva, Sandy Araneta