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Marcos reorganizes government, removes VP as member

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PalawOne

Marcos reorganizes NSC, removes VP as member due to irrelevance


By: Luisa Cabato - Reporter / @luisacabatoINQ INQUIRER.net / 02:57 PM January 03, 2025


President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte


MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has issued an executive order reorganizing the National Security Council (NSC) and removing the vice president as a member due to the position’s irrelevance to the responsibilities of membership in the council.


Asked by reporters why the NSC was restructured, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said it was to “reorganize and streamline the membership of the NSC.”


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


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


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pascal varenio

where Mr Marcos get the money.

I remember the fater in Switzerland in 80', with 5b dollar 💰 💰 💰

Put this in jail.

danfinn

where Mr Marcos get the money.
I remember the fater in Switzerland in 80', with 5b dollar 💰 💰 💰
Put this in jail. - @pascal varenio

PBBM will always have to answer to those legends, whether true or not, about his father and mother being the richest people in the world blah blah.blah.


Interestingly, for people who were so rich, they all seem to live relatively modest lives making one wonder A) if it is true, what is the point of being rich at all and wow, they must have been so clever to conceal the money from the whole world! Or B) is this story not just hyped up BS conjured up by th anti-Marcos forces of the 80's?


Anyway, for some reason, the quoted article only mentions Sarah Duterte who really would be in just a ceremonial position as VP to PBBM with no particular NSC experience and having voluntarily separated from his cabinet. However, the father Duterte was also a membet of the NSC  as a former president. Kicking him out signifies a complete separation of Duterte's policies.


It is like PBBM wants to sweep the Duterte legacy into the dustbin of history. 

PalawOne

Dan writes,
However, the father Duterte was also a membet of the NSC as a former president. Kicking him out signifies a complete separation of Duterte's policies. It is like PBBM wants to sweep the Duterte legacy into the dustbin of history. - @danfinn

Yes, all very true Dan.


And I guess another wild-card might well be the military, always an important factor in Philippine politics



"AFP vows loyalty to flag after Marcos revamp of NSC"


The AFP said it remains loyal to the flag, the Constitution and the Filipino people


By: Nestor Corrales - Reporter Philippine Daily Inquirer / January 05, 2025

/forum/viewtopic.php?id=1090579#6009631


EYES ON THE TROOPS .. Some reactions to President Marcos’ order reorganizing the National Security Council have raised the specter of factionalism within the AFP.



MANILA, Phiippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Saturday reiterated its pledge of loyalty to flag and country amid speculations of a rift within its ranks following a presidential order removing Vice President Sara Duterte from the National Security Council (NSC).


The military “remains a united and professional organization, loyal to the flag, the Constitution, and the Filipino people,” said AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla.


“It strictly adheres to the chain of command and is committed to serving impartially, in full compliance with the law and democratic processes,” Padilla told the Inquirer in a Viber message.


Her remarks were in response to statements from opposition figures identified with the Makayaban bloc that Mr. Marcos’ move “may signal fears of a possible rift within the military.”


The vice president has so far remained mum over the issue.


On Saturday, the Office of the Vice President issued a brief statement when asked for Duterte’s comment: “The Vice President is already aware of the said matter. We’ll keep you posted.”


Aside from the vice president, former presidents, including her father Rodrigo Duterte, and her family’s ally Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, were among those removed from the NSC.


The Inquirer had reached out to Arroyo’s camp for comment but has yet to hear back as of writing.


National Security Adviser (NSA) Eduardo Año earlier said reconstituting the NSC was a necessary move to enhance the formulation of policies affecting national security.


He also noted that previous chief executives, including the president’s father, as well as Corazon Aquino, Fidel V. Ramos, and even Arroyo herself, have reorganized the NSC composition.

Presidential prerogative


Año, who is also NSC director general, said the Administrative Code of 1987 vests the chief executive with the continuing authority to reorganize the administrative structure of the Office of the President which the agency is a part of.


Two administration senators, meanwhile, backed the order saying it is the President’s discretion.


“It’s up to the President who he wants to include in the advisory body and who he wants to listen to regarding national security (matters),” Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino said in an interview with radio dwIZ.


Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian also believed it was the president’s prerogative but acknowledged that it might have been an offshoot of the falling out between the Marcoses and the Dutertes.


“As the second highest elected official of the government, the vice president’s views are important and the president should also consider them,” Gatchalian said in a separate radio interview.


“But we know the real situation in our country. We know what happened in 2024. I think that’s one of the reasons why the president decided to reorganize the NSC,” he added, referring to the vice president’s online news conference in November last year where she claimed to have talked to someone to kill Marcos if she was assassinated. She later said she was misinterpreted.


Family feud


Gatchalian also said it would have been better if former presidents were still allowed to sit in the council because their experience and knowledge would be vital in providing Mr. Marcos with informed opinions on national security issues.


Opposition figures identified with the Makabayan bloc said the development reflects the deepening rift between the Marcos and Duterte families.


In separate statements, ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro, Bayan President Renato Reyes and former lawmaker and lawyer Neri Colmenares said EO 81 demonstrated the “ugly face of elite politics and served no real purpose apart from gaining an upper hand on each other.”


“Sara’s removal, as well as her father (former President Rodrigo Duterte) from the NSC only shows that as the year is just beginning, so too is the struggle between the most prominent political dynasties in our country,” Castro said.


‘Political survival’


“This is not just about national security, this is about political survival,” echoed Colmenares. “These kinds of moves show … how far warring political dynasties would go for power while the ordinary Filipino suffer from poverty.”


They warned that the NSC reorganization might signal deeper problems with the administration. Reyes said the sudden reorganization “may signal fears of a possible rift within the military establishment,” a claim that the military has dismissed.


Nevertheless, Colmenares said, wavering allegiances within the military “could have serious implications for the country’s stability.”


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