When it comes to commentaries about the office of the Vice-President of the UnitedStates, nothing beats John Nance Garner’s remark that it is an office “not even worth a bucket of warm spit.” The vulgar version uses piss. Garner said this in 1932 when he was still the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the third highest position in the federal government. Although at first reluctant to give up the power and influence a Speaker wields, Garner accepted the offer to be Vice President on Franklin D Roosevelt’sticket, and served two terms. After retiring from politics, Garner retold his famous remark to Lyndon Baines Johnson, who was then Senate Majority Leader that dictated which bills will become law. Johnson sought Garner’s advice regarding the vice-president position offered to him by John F. Kennedy in 1960. It seems Garner is correct.

John Adams, America’s first Vice President, called the office of the Vice-president “the most worthless office ever created by the invention of man or conceived by hisimagination.” Theodore Roosevelt considered the position as a mere reserve, “the fifth wheel on a four-wheeled wagon.” In similar fashion, Harry Truman, who also served as Vice-President, said that this position was like “the fifth teat of a cow.”

In a Collier’s Magazine interview, Garner claimed that even a good man could never become a good vice president. “A great man can occupy the office, but there is no way to be a great vice president because this office is inherently powerless.” Garner regretted his decision to serve as vice president of the United States because it was a demotion from being Speaker. Bascom Timmons wrote in “Garner of Texas”(1948) that Garner confided to him that the vice president was “a no man’s land somewhere between the legislative and executive branches and has no arsenal of power.” Other than presiding over the US Senate, the Vice-president will just have to wait and see what happens to the President’s healthduring the term.

In our Constitution, the Vice President may be appointed secretary of any department by the President which will not require confirmation by the Commission onAppointments (Section 3 Article VII). In the event of permanent disability, death, removal from office or resignation of the President, the Vice President shall assume the office ofPresident for the unexpired portion of the fixed term of office. (Section 8, Article VII). The description of the position by Garner, Adams, Roosevelt and Truman rings true in the Philippine context as well.

Philippine history reveals that it is the alignment of the stars that determines the Vice-President’s rise from insignificance to being the most powerful leader of the country.

Sergio Osmena, Elpidio Quirino, Carlos Garcia, Diosdado Macapagal, Joseph Estrada, and

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo all served as Vice-President before becoming President. The truism that the Vice-President is just a heartbeat away from being President was realized with the untimely demise of Manuel Quezon, Manuel Roxas, and Ramon Magsaysay. Quirino and Garcia won the Presidency as incumbent President by operation of law. Only Diosdado Macapagal and Joseph Estrada were successful in winning the Presidency asincumbent Vice-President. The other Vice presidents who ran or attempted to run for President but were unfortunate were Emmanuel Pelaez, Salvador Laurel, Jejomar Binay, and Leni Robredo. With a batting average of only .333% success (only 2 wins out of 6attempts), the political reality is that an incumbent Vice-President is not the presumptive heir to the most powerful position of the land and is definitely not a sure winner in the presidential derby.

Instead of dealing with national security, which is not inherent in the office of the Vice-President, it might be better for the Vice-President as DepEd Secretary, to focus onthe country’s abysmal literacy problem which continues to worsen with every day of neglect that passes. As DepEd Secretary, her primary duty is not to tinker with policy but how to effectively practice and implement the language in education and curriculum policies laid down in RA 10533 or the Enhanced K-12 law. The Vice-President’s political capital should be put to good use in eradicating the elitist Americanization mindset fossilized among senior DepEd officials that hinders inclusivity in education in the 21st Century Multilingual turn. Encouraging teachers who are taking the initiative in developing teaching materials and textbooks in the first language of the student learner, aggressive andadequate funding of timely NEAP in-service trainings for the one million public school teachers, and commanding the Teacher Education Council to overhaul the curriculum ofteacher education for pre-service training of students are all givens.

The road to the Presidency lies not in the Vice-Presidency, but in doing a marvelous job in DepEd.

Atty. Magi Gunigundo is a former lawmaker, civil law instructor, and author of law books. He is also an education reformer and an advocate of anticipatory governance.