Senators back NSC revamp

MANILA, Philippines — Senators have voiced support for the decision of President Marcos to reorganize the National Security Council (NSC), including dropping Vice President Sara Duterte and previous presidents from its list of members.

“It’s the prerogative of the President, it’s the discretion of the President because national security definition is not just national security as everybody knows,” Sen. Francis Tolentino said over radio dwIZ yesterday.

“It covers foreign relations… It also covers economic, social, security, etc. So he chooses whoever he thinks can give him advice regarding things that require advice, like on foreign policy, legislation, domestic and internal security policy. It’s up to him,” he added.

On Friday, Malacañang announced the reorganization of the NSC through Executive Order (EO) No. 81 signed last Dec. 30 by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin.

The reorganization aims to “streamline” the membership of the NSC to help it “adapt to evolving challenges,” according to EO 81.

The removal of Duterte from the council as part of the reorganization was “long overdue,” according to House Assistant Majority Leader and Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre, but former presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo said it was “ill-advised and smacks of dirty politics.”

The reorganization came amid growing enmity between President Marcos and his Vice President, who had even declared having hired someone to kill him, the First Lady and Speaker Martin Romualdez should a supposed plot to assassinate her succeed.

Duterte is facing three impeachment complaints.

Marcos and Duterte ran and won under the UniTeam in May 2022 but had a falling out last year after lawmakers refused to allocate confidential funds for the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education which she headed until July.

“We always presume good faith and regularity on the part of the government. So let’s not color it with politics,” Tolentino said in defense of the President’s move against criticism that it was politically motivated. “Let’s fix what needs to be fixed first. And if you can help the government stay in the right policy direction, do it,” he said.

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said the current situation may have prompted the President to reorganize the NSC, even to the extent of removing the Vice President from its list of members. Gatchalian stressed that while the President recognized the importance of insights from previous presidents and the vice president on security matters, “we know the real situation.”

“So I think that is one of the reasons why the President thought of reorganizing the NSC, and it is his prerogative,” the senator said.

“What’s important is that current members would be able to give him good advice, and for him to make the right decision for the country. It’s the President’s prerogative after all to choose who he thinks can give him proper advice,” he added.

Long overdue

Acidre said he fully supports the decision of President Marcos to remove Duterte from the NSC, calling it “a move that is not only justified but long overdue.”

He said Duterte has no place in the NSC for making direct threats against the lives of the President, the First Lady and the Speaker.

Duterte is a “clear and present danger” to the country’s security, Acidre said in text message to The STAR.

“It is a matter of public record that Vice President Duterte has made direct threats against the President, even admitting to hiring a ‘hitman’ to assassinate the sitting President, the First Lady and the House Speaker,” the lawmaker said.

“Such actions and statements undeniably position her as a clear and present danger to the nation’s security,” he added. With Duterte out of NSC, the President’s life is now secured, he said.

“Given these alarming revelations, her removal from the National Security Council is a logical and necessary step to protect the integrity of our country’s governance and ensure the safety of its leaders,” Acidre said.

“At the moment, the VP is not considered relevant to the responsibilities of membership in the NSC,” Bersamin said.

“Nonetheless, when the need arises, the EO reserves to the President the power to add members or advisers,” he added.

The NSC is now composed of the President as chairman, the Senate president, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Senate president pro-tempore, three deputy speakers to be designated by the Speaker and the majority and minority leaders of the Senate and the House.

Late last year, Duterte declared in a zoom press conference that she had hired a “hitman” to kill President Marcos should a supposed plot to assassinate her succeed.

The Vice President made the threat after her chief of staff Zuleika Lopez was cited in contempt and ordered detained by the House committee on good government and public accountability for refusing to answer questions at a hearing on Duterte’s alleged misuse of the confidential funds of her office and of the DepEd totaling P612.5 million. Duterte was DepEd chief until last July.

Three impeachment complaints have already been filed against Duterte, largely in connection with her alleged anomalous disbursement of her confidential funds.

Precedents

National Security Adviser Eduardo Año clarified that the President’s move to reorganize the NSC had precedents.

He said at least four former presidents – including the President’s late father and namesake – had reorganized the NSC.

“The NSC is, first and foremost, an advisory body to the President, and its composition is always subject to the authority of President,” Año said.

The latest reorganization has also effectively removed former presidents Rodrigo Duterte, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Joseph Estrada from the council.

Año explained that the Administrative Code of 1987 gives the President the authority to reorganize the administrative structure of the Office of the President, of which the NSC is part.

“Moreover, Section 17, Article VII of the Constitution vests in the President the power of control over all executive departments, bureaus and offices,” Año said in a statement.

“Pursuant to this authority, previous presidents have reorganized the composition of the NSC to meet the President’s requirements and changing conditions,” he said.

“Hence, the purpose of reorganization is to enhance the formulation of policies relating to national security so that actions and decisions thereon by the presidents rest on sound advice and accurate information. It is also premised on the need for timely and coherent action to address current and emerging threats to national security,” Año said.

Real target

But for Panelo, who served as chief presidential legal counsel during the previous administration, the removal of the Vice President from the NSC was an effort to reduce her clout.

“Another brazen measure to diminish the political star power of VP Sara,” he said of Marcos’ decision.

Panelo claimed that the removal of Estrada and Macapagal-Arroyo from the NSC was meant to “deodorize” the expulsion of Duterte “to make it appear that she is not being targeted.”

Malacañang declined to comment Panelo’s remarks.

Bayan president Renato Reyes said the NSC reorganization issue reflects the widening gap between President Marcos and the Dutertes as the country heads into the midterm elections.

“Their removal may also signal fears of a possible rift within the military establishment,” he said in a statement.

Other members of the council are the heads of the Senate foreign relations, national defense and security, peace, unification and reconciliation and public order and dangerous drugs committees; the chairs of House foreign affairs, national defense and security, public order and safety committees; the executive secretary; national security adviser; the secretaries of the foreign affairs, justice, defense, interior and local government and labor departments and the Presidential Communications Office; the Chief Presidential Legal Counsel, the head of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office and other government officials and private citizens appointed by the President.

The director-general of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, the chiefs of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police and the director of the National Bureau of Investigation shall attend the meetings of the council when necessary to give advice and to assist in the deliberations. The governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas may also be invited to participate in the council.

As part of the reorganization, the NSC executive committee is now composed of the President as chairman, the executive secretary, Senate president or his representative, Speaker of the House of Representatives or his representative, national security adviser, the secretaries of the foreign affairs, justice, defense, interior and local government departments and other advisers designated by the President as members. — Alexis Romero, Michael Punongbayan, Emmanuel Tupas