REPORTS and rumors have been rife lately that President Rodrigo Duterte’s health is deteriorating fast. Two days after his demise, Vice President Elpidio Quirino assumed the presidency, taking his oath of office as the sixth president of the Philippines. In the 1949 presidential elections, Quirino won as president, with Sen. Fernando Lopez (of the ABS-CBN clan) as vice president. He was succeeded by Vice President Carlos P. Garcia from Bohol. Philippine constitutional provisions dictate a presidential line of succession and enshrined in Article VII (Executive Department), providing for a vice president to assume power.

Source: Manila Times March 17, 2020 16:15 UTC