Term limits Under the 1935 Constitutions, the vice president, along with the president, set the vice president's term at six years, with possibility of re-election as only the president was barred from seeking re-election. In 1940, it shortened the term from six to four years, again without limitations on the number of terms for the vice president. The president, however, was barred from serving more than two terms. Under the provisions of these constitutions, only vice presidents Osmeña and Lopez have won re-election. To date, only Fernando Lopez has served more than one term (a total of three terms), from 1949 to 1951, from 1965 to 1969, and again from 1969 until 1972 when the office was abolished. Under the 1987 Constitution, the vice president is barred from serving more than two consecutive terms (i.e. can be re-elected after one election cycle in between the last allowed term). it is not yet clear if a trial could proceed later, in consideration of the pending motions for reconsideration before the Supreme Court.
Vacancy was appointed by President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Section 9 of Article VII of the 1987 Philippines Constitution provides that whenever the office of vice president is vacant, the president shall nominate a vice president from among members of the Senate and House of Representatives, who shall assume office upon confirmation by a majority vote of all members of both houses of Congress, voting separately. When the vice president becomes the president by succession, the new president can nominate a member of the Congress subject to confirmation from the majority of all members of both houses of the Congress. The Senate president may not directly be in succession for the position of the vice presidency, unless nominated. There is only one instance where a member of the Congress has assumed a vacancy in the vice president position, that is in the case of then-Senator
Teofisto Guingona Jr., who was appointed as vice president of the Philippines by Arroyo on February 7, 2001. Guingona is the only vice president not nationally elected to the position. He is also the oldest person to have held the position, being appointed at the age of 72. He also concurrently served as secretary of foreign affairs.
Official residence Historically, the vice president was not given an official residence. However, the vice president also held office along with the president at the Executive Building (now Kalayaan Hall) in the complex of
Malacañang Palace from 1935 until 1972, when the position was abolished under martial law and the 1973 Constitution. When the position was reinstated, Vice President
Salvador H. Laurel held office at the former Legislative Building on
Padre Burgos Avenue,
Manila, until the building became the
National Museum of Fine Arts of the
National Museum of the Philippines. The vice president's office was transferred to the
Philippine International Convention Center, and again to the
PNB Financial Center, both in
Pasay,
Metro Manila in 2005. In 2011, the
Coconut Palace, also in
Pasay, was designated as the principal workplace of the vice president of the Philippines. Beginning June 30, 2016, the office was transferred to the
Quezon City Reception House in
Quezon City. In July 2022, the vice president's office was transferred to
Cybergate Plaza in
Mandaluyong, Metro Manila. Vice President
Sara Duterte plans to establish a permanent office for the position.
Travel Vice presidents
Elpidio Quirino and
Fernando Lopez used a 1946
Packard Clipper. The official state car of the Vice President of the Philippines from 1994 to 2016 was a
Mercedes-Benz W140 S-Class.
Jejomar Binay, the Vice President between 2010 and 2016, used a bulletproof Toyota
Land Cruiser 200 Series (which was replaced by the
LC 300 Series in 2022) or a Lexus
LX 570 on some occasions. The Vice President is also accompanied by a convoy of vehicles such as the Toyota
Innova,
Hilux,
Fortuner,
HiAce,
Coaster, Land Cruisers, and Nissan Urvan, which contain personnel and security. In some instances, a
Toyota Sequoia was also utilized by Vice President Duterte. Vice President Sara Duterte uses a
Sikorsky S-76C++ helicopter. It has been criticized by some people, who argue that it is a waste of taxpayer money. However, the Vice President's office has defended the use of the helicopter, saying that it is necessary for her to travel quickly and safely around the country, and so she can visit her children anytime.
Security The Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG) is tasked with providing the vice president and his or her immediate family security throughout their term in office. Previously a separate unit, the VPSPG was put under the
Presidential Security Command in 2024. Prior to the VPSPG's activation in 2022, the Vice Presidential Security Detachment (VPSD) was responsible for the security of the vice president, from
Salvador Laurel to
Leni Robredo. Similar to the setup of the PSC, the VPSPG's personnel jointly comes from the
Armed Forces of the Philippines and the
Philippine National Police. As of November 2024, the VPSPG has a strength of 350 military and police personnel. In 2022, a Commission of Audit (COA) report revealed that the VPSPG had an initial strength of 433 personnel. By contrast, in 2020, the then-VPSD had a maximum of 83 personnel, before being reduced to 78 the following year. == List of vice presidents ==