The Constitution’s Article VII, Section 4 provides: “The President and the Vice-President shall be elected by direct vote of the people for a term of six years which shall begin at noon on the thirtieth day of June following the day of the election and shall end at noon of the same date six years thereafter.”
Under Section 5 of the same Article, it is provided that before assuming office, both the president and the vice president shall take an oath, as follows: “I solemnly swear that I will faithfully and conscientiously fulfill my duties as President (or Vice-President or Acting President) of the Philippines, preserve and defend its Constitution, execute its laws, do justice to every man, and consecrate myself to the service of the Nation. So help me God”
This solemn oath office serves as a strong moral anchor to constantly guide the president and the vice president in the performance of their official functions. This oath also constitutes a covenant between these two highest officials and the people whom they solemnly pledge to serve.
Article XI, Section 1 of the same fundamental law declares that a public office is a public trust, thus requiring all government officers and employees to remain accountable to the people.
Public officials are expected to maintain high standards of integrity, live modest lives and always remain faithful to their oath of office. The oath that presidents and vice presidents take has six elements: They are: faithful and conscientious fulfillment of duties, preserving and defending the Constitution, executing the laws of the land, doing justice to every man, consecrating oneself to the service of the nation and invoking the help of God.
The first element makes the president and the vice president as the country’s highest protectors of the Constitution. They should make sure that all decisions, actions and interactions stay within the strict limits of the Constitution. The second binds the two highest officials to strictly implement the laws, maintain social order and uphold the rule of law all the time without fear or favor.
The third element, which is doing justice to every man, is a solemn commitment to treat every person, fairly, justly and impartially regardless of gender, creed, age, status, wealth or power or political affiliation. The fourth element is consecrating oneself to the service of the nation includes the duty to put the rights, welfare and interests of the Filipino people over and above the president’s and vice president’s own wishes and ambitions.
Lastly, invoking the help of God is a humble admission that the two highest officials of the land can do nothing without the blessings of the Almighty. This last portion of the presidential and vice presidential oath elevates this solemn promise to the higher level of the Divine Providence that guides the destinies of men and nations.
It is my humble opinion that the vice president has not been totally faithful to her oath. Her overall behavior and patterns of actions and interactions have not been in accord with her solemn duty to faithfully and conscientiously perform her functions as the second highest official of the land. She has been wanting in her solemn duty to preserve and defend the Constitution.
Her overall actuations can hardly be considered as doing justice to every man, much less her constant and extended foreign travels be considered as consecrating herself to the service of the nation. She keeps on insulting the president in public fora here and abroad and thus showcases to the world an undesirable trait of a Filipino, in casting aspersions against our head of state and head of government.
The testimonies for the prosecution are gradually but surely unmasking the true character of a person who wants to ascend to the highest position and govern the nation. The president is not perfect but he is respectful and decent. The president also has a lot of accountability to the people. But he has behaved with honor and dignity, I cannot, for the life of me, say the same of the vice president. I cannot imagine her becoming the president.