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VERA FILES FACT SHEET: Can VP-elect Sara Duterte be sworn in before June 30?

While the 1987 Constitution does not expressly prohibit being sworn in earlier, lawyer Christian Monsod, a member of the 1986 Constitutional Commission, said Duterte-Carpio should not take her oath of office “until there is an office to assume.”

By VERA FILES

May 21, 2022

2-minute read
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In an apparent break with tradition, vice president-elect Sara Duterte-Carpio announced on May 16 that she plans to take her oath of office days ahead of June 30, the official start of the term for the next batch of Philippine officials.

Is this allowed under Philippine laws? Watch this video:

 

The swearing-in of former vice president Teofisto Guingona Jr. in February 2001, however, was a different case since he was appointed to the position after his predecessor Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo assumed the presidency following the resignation of then-president Joseph Ejercito Estrada.

 

Editor’s note: This report was updated following the proclamation of vice president-elect Sara Duterte-Carpio on May 25, and also to include the video fact sheet.

 

Have you seen any dubious claims, photos, memes, or online posts that you want us to verify? Fill out this reader request form or send it to ‘VERA, the truth bot’ on Viber.

 

Sources

National Historical Commission of the Philippines, The History and Tradition of June 30: the Glitz and the Glamour of the Philippine Presidential Inauguration (by Quennie Ann J. Palafox), July 1, 2016

Davao City Disaster Radio Facebook page, Special Hours with Mayor Inday Sara Duterte, May 16, 2022

Official Gazette, 1987 Constitution

GMA News Online, Comelec affirms presumptive VP Sara Duterte could take oath before June 30, May 17, 2022

CNN Philippines, Comelec exec: Not illegal for winning candidates to take oath before June 30, May 17, 2022

Inquirer.net, Comelec: ‘No problem’ with Sara Duterte’s inauguration as VP ahead of June 30, May 17, 2022

Philippine News Agency, Sara Duterte may take oath ahead of June 30: Comelec, May 17, 2022

Personal communication (Email and text message), Christian Monsod, May 18, 2022

Personal communication (Email), Michael Yusingco, May 19, 2022

Inauguration of elected VPs post-1987

Office of the Vice President, History, Accessed on May 19, 2022

Senate of the Philippines, Teofisto T. Guingona Jr., Accessed on May 19, 2022

Official Gazette, The Executive Branch (Vice President of the Philippines: History), Accessed on May 19, 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.)

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