Malacañang hits back at critics, defends removal of Duterte from NSC

National

MALACAÑANG defended its decision to remove Vice President Sara Duterte from the National Security Council (NSC), describing the criticisms as “malicious.”

Former chief presidential legal counsel and spokesman Salvador Panelo said the removal of Duterte from the NSC “smacks of dirty politics” and “brazen measures to diminish the political star power of VP Sara”.

Panelo also believed that removing former presidents like Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Joseph Estrada is a move to eliminate the doubts and “make it appear that she (VP Sara) is not being targeted.“

Former presidential spokesman Harry Roque also questioned the removal of the vice president and past presidents from the council, describing it as “a prelude to martial law.”

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos recently issued Executive Order 81 reorganizing the members of the NSC and excluding the VP and former presidents as members, a move that gained reproval, especially from the opposition.

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin reiterated that the revamp made by the President is his prerogative as a local chief executive since the NSC is part of the Office of the President.

Furthermore, the President has the right on who to trust and include or not in the council, Bersamin said.

"I am not saying that the Vice President does not anymore deserve to be trusted. But I am just saying that with the recent developments, it is not going to be good advice or good action on the part of the President to still have her onboard,” Bersamin said.

“So if the National Security Council is supposed to be including members who are trusted by the President, then let it be understood in that light,” he added.

Bersamin added that Roque was being malicious when he linked the removal of Duterte from NSC to Marco’s plan to declare martial law.

“It’s not about martial law. It’s not about extending himself in power. No, he has no thinking about that. He does not even think in those terms. Mr. Roque is really malicious,” Bersamin said in a Philippine Star report.(LAO)