Former presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo criticized the exclusion of Vice President Sara Duterte from the National Security Council (NSC), describing it as a move rooted in “dirty politics.” The reorganization came through Executive Order (EO) 81, which aims to streamline the council’s membership.
Panelo argued that removing Duterte from the NSC, along with former presidents, including her father, Rodrigo Duterte, was a calculated political maneuver. “It smacks of dirty politics. Another brazen measure to diminish the political star power of VP Sara,” he said.
The former chief presidential legal counsel under Duterte also claimed that excluding other past presidents was a tactic to obscure the targeting of the vice president. “The removal of FPGMA (Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) and FPERAP (Joseph Estrada) in the NSC is to deodorize the elimination of VP Sara,” Panelo added.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin defended the reorganization, stating that the vice president’s role was not aligned with the council’s current responsibilities. Bersamin emphasized that the EO grants the president authority to appoint additional members or advisers when necessary.
EO 81 replaces previous orders issued in 1992 and 2001 and excludes all living former presidents from the advisory council. The NSC, chaired by the president, is tasked with addressing evolving national security challenges and policies.
