Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City  
20TH CONGRESS  
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. 1415 
Introduced by: REP. JOEL R. CHUA 
Explanatory Note 
The attached Bill seeks to resolve a gap in our laws by delineating the Presidential 
succession in an Acting President situation. This Representation proposed a similar 
measure during the 19th Congress but, due to lack of material time, the Bill remained in the 
House Committee level.  
This Bill is the same as what was submitted during the 19th Congress. As such, my 
explanation stated in the original is herein reiterated: 
Thirty-seven (37) years after the 1987 Constitution came into force, Congress has 
not yet enacted a law on presidential succession in an Acting President situation. 
The Constitution tasked Congress to provide, by law, who shall serve as Acting 
President and Acting Vice President when there is no President, President-elect, Vice 
President, or Vice President-elect in the very specific situations described in Article VII, 
Sections 7 and 8 of the Constitution. 
This bill, therefore, does not amend the Constitution. This bill implements the 
constitutional mandate to enact an enabling law on Presidential Succession in case those 
who are in the line of succession designated in the Constitution are unable to serve in acting 
capacity. 
There are three situations addressed in this bill: 
1. Succession when the Vice President is elected, has qualified, and assumes the
Vice Presidency, but the President has not yet been chosen and qualified, so the
Presidency is vacant. In this situation, the Vice President becomes Acting
President. Section 3 of the bill addresses this situation.
July 7, 2025
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2. Succession when the President of the Senate or Speaker of the House of
Representatives serves as Acting President by reason of succession. When either
becomes Acting President, the position of Vice President is vacant. This vacancy
has to be filled. Section 4 addresses this particular situation. In Section 4, the
vacancy is the Vice Presidency is filled according to the Constitution,
specifically Article VII, Section 9, where the Vice President is nominated from
among the Members of the Senate and Members of the House of Representatives
However, if the Speaker of the House is unable to serve as Acting 
President, the positions of President and Vice President become vacant. Section 
5 addresses this situation with the Governors choosing the Acting President and 
the City Mayors choosing the Acting Vice President. 
3. Succession when the President and Vice President are unable to, incapacitated,
or die before the Senate President and Speaker of the House are elected, leaving
both the Presidency and Vice Presidency vacant. In this situation, the Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court becomes Caretaker of the Executive Branch with
general supervisory powers only to ensure continuity of government and public
services until the Senate President and Speaker of the House are elected by their
peers.
The Chief Justice, as Caretaker of the Executive Department, shall only 
exercise temporary general supervision authority over the Executive 
Department, the local governments, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to 
ensure the continuity of delivery of public services and operations of the national 
government. The Caretaker shall not exercise executive power reserved only to 
the President of the Philippines as specified in the Constitution and residual 
powers as provided in various laws of the land. 
 This bill designates the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court as a Caretaker under 
very specific circumstances. In this sense, the Chief Justice is the "designated survivor" 
when the constitutional succession line is exhausted. The Caretaker role is consistent 
with current practice on caretakers when the President is overseas. We chose the Chief 
Justice because that position commands respect. The Caretaker role is temporary 
because it is there to ensure continuity of government. 
In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
REP. JOEL R. CHUA 
3rd District of Manila 


 Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City  
20TH CONGRESS  
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. 1415
Introduced by: REP. JOEL R. CHUA 
AN ACT 
PROVIDING FOR THE MANNER OF SELECTION OF THE ACTING 
PRESIDENT AND ACTING VICE PRESIDENT WHEN VACANCY OCCURS IN 
THE POSITIONS OF PRESIDENT, VICE PRESIDENT, PRESIDENT-ELECT, 
AND VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT, PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFORE, AND FOR 
OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
Section 1. Short Title. This Act shall be known as the "Presidential Succession Act 
of 2025". 
Section 2. Declaration of Policy. It is the declared policy of the State that Congress 
shall provide, by law, for who shall serve as Acting President and Acting Vice President 
under the specific circumstances set forth in Article VI, Sections 7 and 8 of the 
Constitution. 
Section 3. Succession to Acting President by the Vice President until the 
President-elect shall have been chosen and qualified. Where after having been elected 
and sworn into office, the Vice President-elect becomes Vice President and acts as 
President until the President-elect has not been chosen and qualified. The Acting President 
shall serve until the President-elect has qualified and sworn into office as President. 
Section 4. Succession when the President of the Senate or Speaker of the House 
of Representatives serves as Acting President. Where no President and Vice-President 
shall have been chosen or shall have qualified, or where both shall have died or become 
permanently disabled, the President of the Senate shall serve as Acting President in 
accordance with Article VII, Section 8 (1) of the 1987 Constitution. If the President of the 
Senate is unable to serve as Acting President, then the Speaker of the House becomes 


Acting President also in accordance with Article VII, Section 8 (1) of the 1987 
Constitution. 
 
The moment the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House takes his oath 
as Acting President, the vacancy in the Office of the Vice-President shall be filled, in 
accordance with Article VII, Section 9 of the 1987 Constitution, by the Acting President 
who shall nominate a Vice-President from among the Members of the Senate and the House 
of Representatives. The Vice President shall assume office upon confirmation by a majority 
vote of all the Members of both Houses of Congress, voting separately. 
 
Section 5. Succession when the Speaker of the House is unable to serve as 
Acting President. If the Speaker of the House is unable to serve as Acting President, the 
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court serves as Caretaker of the Executive Branch until the 
positions of President and Vice President are filled with an Acting President and Acting 
Vice President, respectively. 
 
The Commission on Elections, in an emergency en banc session convened within 
three (3) calendar days, shall convene the elected Governors and City Mayors. The 
Governors shall choose the Acting President from among the Members of the Senate. The 
City Mayors shall choose the Acting Vice President from among the Members of the House 
of Representatives. They have to choose the Acting President and the Acting Vice 
President within five (5) days from the day they convene. 
 
The Acting President and Acting Vice President chosen in accordance with this 
Section shall serve until the next President and Vice President are elected and qualified in 
special elections held in accordance with Article VII, Section 10 of the 1987 Constitution. 
 
The Chairperson of the Commission on Elections shall administer the oath of office 
to the Acting President chosen by the Governors and to the Acting Vice President chosen 
by the City Mayors immediately after they were chosen. 
 
Section 6. Caretaker of the Executive Department. The Chief Justice of the 
Supreme Court shall also serve as Caretaker of the Executive Branch in the event that the 
President-elect and the Vice President-elect are unable to take their respective Oath of 
Office after having been elected and qualified and before Congress elect their Senate 
President and Speaker of the House of Representatives. The Chief Justice shall serve as 
Caretaker until such time that the Senate President and Speaker of the House have been 
elected by their respective peers. 
 
 
The Chief Justice shall also serve as Caretaker as provided in Section 5 and           
Section 8 of this Act. 
 


The Chief Justice, as Caretaker of the Executive Department, shall only exercise 
temporary general supervision authority over the Executive Department, the local 
governments, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to ensure the continuity of delivery 
of public services and operations of the national government. The Caretaker shall not 
exercise executive power reserved only to the President of the Philippines as specified in 
the Constitution and residual powers as provided in various laws of the land. 
 
The outgoing President shall not serve in a holdover capacity because the 
Constitution does not allow such circumstances. 
 
Section 7. Special Election. Where the provisions of the immediately preceding 
Section are implemented, the conduct of a Special Election for President and Vice 
President shall proceed as provided in Article VII, Section 10 of the Constitution. 
Section 8. Extraordinary Circumstance. Where, by reason of catastrophe or 
calamity that is either natural or man-made, the President, Vice President, all the Members 
of the Senate of the Philippines, all the Members of the House of Representatives, and the 
Chairman and Commissioners of the Commission on Elections are incapacitated or die, the 
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court shall serve as Caretaker of the Executive Department 
until the Governors have chosen new Acting President and the City Mayors have chosen 
an Acting Vice President. 
It is for this reason of Extraordinary Circumstance, therefore, that on the occasion 
of the State of the Nation Address, the Chief Justice and Members of the Supreme Court 
shall inhibit from attending the SONA and any other occasions when all the elected 
officials of the Executive and Legislative branches of government and the Comelec are all 
invited. 
The Supreme Court, in en banc session, shall convene all the proclaimed elected 
Governors and City Mayors for the selection of an Acting President and Acting Vice 
President as provided in Section 4 of this Act. 
Section 9. Appropriations. Funding the conduct of the special election for 
President and Vice President shall be automatically appropriated and sourced from 
Unprogrammed Funds. 
Funds for the offices of the Caretaker of the Executive Branch, Acting President and 
Acting Vice President shall also be sourced from the Unprogrammed Funds. 
Section 10. Separability. - If any provision or part of this Act is declared invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remaining parts or provisions not affected shall continue to be in full 
force and effect. 


Section 11. Repealing Clause. - All laws, executive orders, and administrative 
orders or parts thereof inconsistent with any provision of this Act are hereby repealed or 
amended accordingly. 
Section 12. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after 
its publication in the online version of the Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of 
general circulation or with an established internet website presence. 
Approved,