Philippine Senate Confirms Vice President's Nomination

The Philippine Senate Wednesday confirmed the nomination of Senate Minority Leader Teofisto Guingona Jr. as the country's vice-president.

The confirmation passed with 18 affirmative votes and one abstention, that of Guingona himself.

Consistent with their stand that President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo's legitimacy as Chief Executive has yet to be clarified, opposition Senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Miriam Santiago registered their votes in favor of Guingona conditionally.

Guingona's assumption of the vice-presidency leaves vacant a seat in the 12-man Senate whose term will expire only in 2004. The other half of the 24-man chamber will conclude their term on June 30, this year.

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said the vacancy in Guingona's seat may be filled by increasing the number of slots open for the May elections.

However, unlike the first 12 slots whose term will last until the year 2007, the 13th will be occupied by a senator who will have to bow out of office also in 2004 since he or she will only be serving the unexpired term vacated by Guingona.

Pimentel said a concurrent resolution will have to be passed to add a slot in the senatorial race.

The Senate, in the 11th Congress, lost two senators, one when Senate President Marcelo Fernan succumbed to cancer, and the other, Senator Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who was elected in 1998 as the country's vice-president.

Santiago said it is important that the Senate has 24 Senators since there are measures that require two-thirds vote of the chamber and a vacancy may pose a problem.

Such, she said, is the case in ratifying bilateral or multilateral treaties such as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), and any action on impeachment.

Arroyo was sworn in to office on January 20 in a military- backed popular uprising against corruption-tainted former President Joseph Estrada.

Arroyo named Guingona as her vice president on Tuesday, despite Estrada, who claimed he is still the president on leave, and some Senators earlier questioned the legitimacy of her presidency.






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