The decision to remove Vice President Sara Duterte from the National Security Council was “ill-advised,” former Duterte administration spokesman Salvador Panelo said on Saturday.
“The removal of VP Sara as a member of the National Security Council is an ill-advised presidential move,” he said.
“It smacks of dirty politics. Another brazen measure to diminish the political star power of VP Sara,” Panelo added.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. earlier issued Executive Order No. 81 that removed the Vice President and former presidents from the NSC, streamlining its membership as well as that of its executive committee.
Panelo claimed the removal of former presidents from the NSC was a strategic attempt to “deodorize” the move and make it seem like the VP was not being specifically targeted.
In his EO, Mr. Marcos said the reconstitution of the NSC was made “to ensure that its council members uphold and protect national security and sovereignty, thereby fostering an environment conducive to effective governance and stability.”
The Vice President is facing an investigation after she claimed to have told someone to kill Mr. Marcos if she was assassinated. She later said her comments were misinterpreted.
National Security Adviser Eduardo Año, for his part, said the reconstitution of the council was “necessary to further enhance the formulation of policies affecting national security.”
“The NSC is, first and foremost, an advisory body to the President, and its composition is always subject to the authority of the President,” Año said in a statement.
He said the latest adjustment “continues a historical pattern of NSC reorganizations tailored to meet evolving security challenges.”
Since the NSC was established by President Elpidio Quirino in 1950, it has undergone several reorganizations under Presidents Marcos in 1972, Corazon Aquino in 1986 and 1987, Fidel Ramos in 1992, and Arroyo in 2001.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Panelo hits ‘ill-advised’ Marcos decision removing VP Sara from NSC.”
