Outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte’s statement that two “Dutertes” will sit as president and vice president of the country for 11 days due to the unprecedented early inauguration of his daughter, vice president-elect Sara Duterte-Carpio, is misleading.
Although this marks the first time in Philippine history that an incoming vice president is the child of an outgoing president, their terms of office do not overlap.
STATEMENT
During his opening remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony for a new sports complex in Bataan on June 17, the president teased the five members of the Garcia political dynasty present for “getting all [of the positions]” in the provincial government. He quipped:
“Bilib ako sa iyong liderato, puro Garcia (I’m amazed by your leadership, all belong to the Garcia family). Sa amin man rin (We’re the same). You know there is a queer coincidence in our history. Maybe it would be the first time; I don’t know. I have yet to look into the archives of our country; but si Inday [Sara] … would swear sa (her) loyalty niya sa (to the) Constitution and to the country ngayong (on) [June] 19.”
He added:
“So si Bongbong Marcos would take his oath of office on June 30 pa. So at that time, at that point in time sa history, ang presidente ako pa. June 30 pa ‘yung isa; pero may vice president na nag-oath of office na. So in about …11 days, ang presidente ninyo Duterte, ang vice president ninyo Duterte. Kaya sabihin ko kay Inday, ‘ituloy na lang natin ito.’ Hindi, biro lang.”
(So Bongbong Marcos would take his oath of office on June 30. So at that time, at that point in time of history, I’m still the president. The next one would assume the presidency on June 30, but we already have a vice president who has taken an oath of office. So in about 11 days, the president and vice president are Dutertes. I’d like to tell Inday, ‘let’s just continue this.’ No, I’m just joking.)
Source: Presidential Communications Operations Office official website, Groundbreaking Ceremony of the Philippine Sports Training Center (transcript), June 17 2022, watch from 2:28 to 4:37
FACT
Although Duterte-Carpio took her oath as vice president last June 19, she will remain as mayor of Davao City until her term ends on June 30.
Section 4, Article VII of the 1987 Constitution clearly states that the incoming vice president may only assume office “at noon on the 30th day of June next following the day of the election and shall end at noon of the same date six years thereafter.”
(See VERA FILES FACT SHEET: Can VP-elect Sara Duterte be sworn in before June 30?)
Duterte-Carpio acknowledged this in a June 20 press conference when asked who she would appoint to the Office of the Vice President, saying that her term would only start on June 30. This is the first time since the ratification of the 1987 Constitution that an incoming vice president is sworn in before the term of office starts.
On June 19, the president’s daughter took her oath as the country’s 15th vice president in ceremonies in her hometown of Davao City. Her running mate, president-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., son and namesake of the late dictator, will be inaugurated in front of the National Museum in Manila on June 30.
Former election official George Garcia said in May that the early oath-taking is not illegal “as long as the assumption [to office] would be at noon of June 30.”
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Sources
Presidential Communications Operations Office official website, Groundbreaking Ceremony of the Philippine Sports Training Center (transcript), June 17 2022
Official Gazette official website, The Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines, Accessed June 21, 2022
ANC 24/7 official YouTube Channel, LOOK: VP-elect Sara Duterte talks to reporters on education agenda, conversations with father, June 20, 2022
Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos official website, Marcos to take oath at historic National Museum building, June 2, 2022
GMA News Online official website, Comelec affirms presumptive VP Sara Duterte could take oath before June 30, May 17, 2022
CNN Philippines official website, Comelec exec: Not illegal for winning candidates to take oath before June 30, May 17, 2022
Inquirer.net official website, Comelec: ‘No problem’ with Sara Duterte’s inauguration as VP ahead of June 30, May 17, 2022
Office of the Vice President official website, Previous Vice Presidents, Accessed June 21, 2022
Official Gazette official website, Executive Branch, Accessed June 21, 2022
(Guided by the code of principles of the International Fact-Checking Network at Poynter, VERA Files tracks the false claims, flip-flops, misleading statements of public officials and figures, and debunks them with factual evidence. Find out more about this initiative and our methodology.)
