Senators back NSC revamp

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.

- CECILLE SUERTE FELIPE, JOSE RODEL CLAPANO, Alexis Romero, Michael Punongbayan, Emmanuel Tupas

"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 dwlZ 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.