Lacson Tells Cayetano He Cannot Tie Marcos’ Hands on Who Replaces Sara Duterte as Vice President
SEN. PING LACSON – Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, doubled down on his rejection of Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano’s call for senator-judges to promise that they will not accept the vice presidency if Vice President Sara Duterte is convicted in her impeachment trial.
Lacson first spoke to reporters on the sidelines of a Senate budget hearing on Monday, October 26, saying the appeal was out of place because the choice of a successor belongs to the President alone.
“Bakit niya pakikialaman ang prerogative ng pangulong pumili? Bakit siya lilimitahan? I think it’s uncalled for na pangunahan niya ang pangulo,” Lacson said. In English: why would he interfere with the President’s prerogative to choose, and why limit him?
In a social media post on Tuesday, Lacson said no senator can be told how to answer a possible appointment from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. “Somebody had the gall to suggest that my Senate colleagues should decline a VP appointment from PBBM if the impeachment trial ends in conviction,” he wrote. “While ‘no comment’ would be the most appropriate response, silence might be misconstrued as interest in the position.”
To make his point, Lacson floated a hypothetical in which Marcos picks Sen. Lito Lapid. He asked whether Lapid should have to say no only because he sat as a senator-judge, then added: “Isn’t that a foolish proposition?” Lacson stressed that he is not after the post himself. His Senate term runs until 2031, and he said he would decline the vice presidency if it were offered to him.
Cayetano clarifies
The exchange began after presiding officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero said on his podcast on Sunday, October 25, that he would refuse the vice presidency if Duterte is removed, citing conflict of interest because the Senate would decide her fate. Cayetano then asked his fellow senator-judges to make the same declaration, as covered in Cayetano Urges Senator-Judges to Reject VP Post if Sara Duterte Is Convicted.
In a separate post on Tuesday, Cayetano softened his stance and said every senator remains free to decide. “The President retains his constitutional authority to nominate a replacement from the Senate or the House if a vacancy arises… a senator remains free to decline. The President can fulfill his duty while a senator follows his conscience,” he wrote. He also said that “getting offended by a question does not answer it.”
Under the 1987 Constitution, the President fills a vacancy in the vice presidency by nominating a member of the Senate or the House of Representatives. A majority of each chamber, voting separately, must confirm the nominee. A conviction would remove Duterte from office and could bar her from running for president in 2028.
The back-and-forth comes as the impeachment trial enters its final stretch. Lacson and Cayetano have clashed repeatedly throughout the proceedings.
Other Senate developments this week include the decision to hold off the penalties on two colleagues, covered in Estrada, Marcoleta Suspensions on Hold as Absentee Senators Go Without Pay, and the manhunt for Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa in Marcos Orders Lawful, Non-Violent Arrest of Sen. Bato dela Rosa.