HINDI umano isang biro at dapat na seryosohin ang pagtiyak sa seguridad ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. sa ikatlong State of the Nation Address (SONA) nito sa Hulyo 22.

Ginawa ni Manila Rep. Joel Chua matapos sabihin ni Vice President Sara Duterte na hindi ito dadalo sa SONA at itinalaga ang kanyang sarili bilang “designator survivor.”

“I appreciate Vice President Sara Duterte’s humor when she said, “I am appointing myself as the Designated Survivor” when she said she is not attending the joint session of Congress for the third SONA of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.,” ani Chua.

“However, given current political tensions, such a joke is not in good taste because the security of the President of the Philippines is not a joking or laughing matter. Great care is taken to ensure the security of the President, especially during the SONA,” giit ng mambabatas.

Sinabi ni Chua na wala namang kapangyarihan si Duterte upang italaga ang kanyang sarili bilang designated survivor dahil sa ilalim ng 1987 Constitution ang Bise Presidente ang kasunod ng Pangulo sa line of succession.

“To be specific, the two paragraphs of Section 8 of Article VII of the Constitution provides for the succession to the President and to the Acting President. The second paragraph gives Congress the mandate to produce an enabling law for the Acting President situation,” paliwanag ni Chua.

Sinabi ni Chua na inihahanda rin nito ang isang Designated Survivor bill.