MANILA — The Founding Chairman of Masa-Sara Duterte Alliance (MASADA) is directly asking Malacanang:where is the President?
Masada Chairman Ben Ranque noted that Executive Secretary Ralph Recto has been leading meetings, presiding over discussions on the oil crisis, and meeting with all sorts of guests in Malacanang, a clear sign of the physical absence of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Ranque said the Filipino masses deserve to know the whereabouts of President Ferdinand BongBong Marcos Jr.
“We are deeply concerned about the president’s state of health and the stability of his administration,” he said.
Ranque has quoted Political strategist Malou Tiquia “There is no such thing as the Executive Secretary being Acting President in the Constitution.”
This is a fact, not fiction and clearly stated in the supreme law of the land, the Philippine Constitution, Ranque said.
The role of the Executive Secretary is crystal clear: Ralph Recto only acts as chief officer of the presidential orders, and the overseer of the bureaucracy, he said.
The power of the executive secretary is therefore administrative, not sovereign.
Ranque said the 1987 Constitution is very specific on this matter when it comes to succession.
If the Office of the President becomes vacant due to death, resignation, or permanent incapacitated,
the line is clear: The Vice President takes over.
There is no intermediate step, no temporary title, and no Acting President status granted to any Cabinet member or Executive Secretary, Ranque added.
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