Marcos removes Dutertes from the National Security Council structure
By: Manuel Mogato | Published: January 4, 2025
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Manila—President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. removed the two Dutertes, a father-and-daughter team, from the National Security Council (NSC), a subtle move to neutralize the former president and vice president because of a perceived threat to his leadership.
On December 30, President Marcos issued a three-page Executive Order No. 81, reorganizing the National Security Council (NSC), almost a month after Vice President Sara Duterte complained that she had not been invited to meetings nor received meeting minutes.
Marcos’ new directive showed the worsening relations between the two political allies after Duterte threatened to kill the president, the first lady, and the speaker of Congress in a fit of anger.
In his directive, Marcos reasoned: “There is a need to further guarantee that the NSC remains a resilient national security institution, capable of adapting to evolving challenges and opportunities both domestically and internationally, and to ensure that its council members uphold and protect national security and sovereignty, thereby fostering an environment conducive to effective governance and stability.”
This is the third time the NSC has been reorganized. The first was in December 1986, six months after Corazon Aquino assumed office after ousting dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
She made the vice president, then Salvador Laurel, a member of the NSC before they broke up when the vice president started criticizing her.
In September 2001, then-president Gloria Arroyo reorganized the NSC to include past presidents – Corazon Aquino, Fidel Ramos, and Joseph Estrada – in the council.
Marcos Jr. has removed former presidents and the vice president from the council. He also reorganized the NSC executive committee with the president, executive secretary, Senate president or his representative, House Speaker, National Security Adviser, and secretaries of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of National Defense (DND), and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) as members.
Under the EO, the council will still be headed by the President as the chairperson and is composed of the Senate president, House Speaker, Senate president pro-tempore, three deputy speakers designated by the House Speaker, Senate’s Majority and Minority Floor leaders, and House Majority and Minority Floor leaders.
Subscribe to the API Newsletter
Bite-sized updates sent straight to your inbox.
Success!
First Name
Last Name
By signing up, you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Other officials included in the council are chairpersons of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification and Reconciliation, Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, House Committee on National Defense and Security, House Committee on Public Order and Safety.
The Executive Secretary, National Security Adviser, secretaries of DFA; DOJ; DND; DILG; Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE); and Presidential Communications Office (PCO), Chief Presidential Legal Counsel; Presidential Legislative Liaison Office head, and other government officials and private citizens as the President may appoint or designate from time to time are also included in the council.
The director-general of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, the chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the chief of the Philippine National Police, and the director of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) shall attend the meetings of the council as may be necessary to advise and assist in its deliberations.
The governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas may also be invited to participate in the NSC.
NSC’s executive committee was also reorganized and shall now be composed of the President, Executive Secretary, Senate President or his representative, House Speaker, National Security Adviser, and secretaries of DFA, DOJ, DND, and DILG.
The post Marcos removes Dutertes from the National Security Council structure appeared first on asiapacificinsights.com.