House members slam Vice President Sara over ‘designated survivor’

MANILA, Philippines — The pronouncement of Vice President Sara Duterte that she is the “designated survivor” did not sit well with some members of the House of Representatives.

In a statement, House members who call themselves the “Young Guns” hit Duterte for her declaration that she would not attend the State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Marcos on July 22 as she had appointed herself as the “designated survivor.”

This will be the first time that she will be absent at the event since the pair ascended to power in 2022.

Isabela Rep. Inno Dy V, 1-Rider Partylist Rep. Rodge Gutierrez, Davao Oriental Rep. Cheeno Miguel Almario, La Union Rep. Paolo Ortega V, Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, Ako Bicol Partylist Rep. Jil Bongalon and Zambales Rep. Jay Khonghun lamented the Vice President’s comments as they emphasized the “gravity of her position and the potential impact of her words.”

Dy said the remarks are “both inappropriate and reckless” and “such rhetoric hints at scenarios that are alarming and baseless, sowing unnecessary fear among the public.”

Gutierrez noted the pronouncement could undermine the seriousness of national events, such as the SONA.

“While obviously intended as a joke, it is quite inappropriate. The SONA is a serious event where we address the nation’s most pressing issues, and such comments taken out of context undermine its significance and fuel speculation,” he added.

In another statement, Senior Deputy Speaker and Pampanga Rep. Aurelio Gonzales Jr. reminded Duterte to be more “circumspect” with her remarks and to avoid “alarming statements.”

Gonzales said implying that something bad will happen when the President delivers the SONA is a “very serious matter that warrants an investigation.”

“It’s a very bad joke. It leaves a bad taste in the mouth, especially coming from a very popular VP who garnered a resounding 32 million votes in the last presidential elections.

It’s the highest vote for an elected official in our history books,” he added.Gonzales asked if the Vice President is “spending too much time watching Netflix.”

“She better read our Constitution. It’s as clear as sunlight... She should be more circumspect and responsible in her utterances, owing to her title and the high office that she represents,” he said.

Camiguin Rep. Jurdin Jesus Romualdo said in a statement that the Vice President should “show more interest in observing proper decorum and tradition, than in activities like watching Netflix and cracking jokes about it.”“Vice President Sara Duterte should be more cautious with what she says.

After all, she is still a public official, and Netflix is not a good basis for her actions or inactions,” Romualdo said.Duterte’s joke implied that she is the designated survivor should disaster strike the SONA.

“Does she have a premonition of things to come? She should refrain from watching too much Netflix. Her joke could have been better handled given that all high-ranking officials of the land would be there,” Romualdo added.

In a chance interview with reporters in Davao City on Thursday, Duterte said she would not attend Marcos’ third SONA at the Batasan Pambansa in Quezon City.

“No, I will not attend the SONA. I am appointing myself as the designated survivor,” Duterte said.

No comment from OVP

The Office of the Vice President (OVP) remained mum on Duterte’s remark.

Reporters specifically asked if Duterte was insinuating a security threat in the upcoming event. A staff member of the OVP said the question would be relayed to the Vice President, but no statement was issued yesterday.

The Vice President’s statement drew various reactions from different sectors, as the Netflix television series “Designated Survivor” had all government officials – from the president down to other agency heads – killed after a massive explosion.

The country has no rule in connection with the designated survivor.

In the United States, the designated survivor role is assigned to someone in the Cabinet who must sit out the president’s State of the Union Address – or SOTU – to ensure the continuity of leadership in case the president and all of the constitutional successors are killed or incapacitated in a terrorist attack or catastrophic event.

Last Tuesday, Duterte also skipped the opening ceremony of the Palarong Pambansa in Cebu City even if the Department of Education (DepEd) was the primary government agency tasked to lead the event in partnership with the Cebu provincial government.

It was supposed to be the first time that Marcos and Duterte were to meet in person following her resignation as DepEd secretary last June 19.

Duterte will formally end her term as education secretary on July 19. She will be replaced by Sen. Sonny Angara.

Senators not bothered

Senators would not give any special meaning to Duterte skipping the SONA.

Senate President Francis Escudero said, “I guess she was simply making light of her excuse by quoting a Netflix series. Personally, I won’t give any special or deeper meaning to it.”

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said he does not think Duterte’s remark meant anything.

“I don’t think that’s what she meant there. I don’t know what is really on her mind, maybe she is just thinking that she is the next in line,” Gatchalian added.

Gun ban

The Philippine National Police will impose a gun ban as part of security measures for the SONA.

In a public advisory, the PNP’s secretariat for permits to carry firearms outside of residence said the gun ban would take effect from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. on July 22.

The advisory did not say if the gun ban will only cover Quezon City or other areas of the country.

At least 22,000 police officers will secure the SONA, 6,000 of whom will be deployed in the vicinity of the Batasang Pambansa complex.

Meanwhile, militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) is pushing back against the threat of the police who say that they will arrest protesters who will burn effigies during the SONA.

Bayan secretary general Raymond Palatino yesterday criticized Quezon City Police District director Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan who warned that policemen will apprehend activists who burn effigies during the SONA.

“We condemn the threat of arrest since it could disrupt the people’s legitimate right to assemble and speak out against government abuse,” Palatino said in a statement.

Palatino said burning of effigies is a form of protected speech, stressing that it reflects the people’s outrage over the incompetence and abuses of the government under Marcos.

“The police should neither dictate what form of protest is to be tolerated nor impose restrictions on the people’s right to freedom of expression,” he said.

Contrary to Maranan’s statement that burning of an effigy is illegal under Batas Pambansa 880 or the Public Assembly Act, Palatino said the police have no basis in criminalizing the act. — Elizabeth Marcelo, Emmanuel Tupas, Cecille Suerte Felipe