MANILA, Philippines – ITINUTURING ng Malakanyang na may ‘malisyoso’ ang pagkonekta ng ilan sa naging desisyon ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. na alisin ang Bise-Presidente at mga dating presidente sa National Security Council (NSC) ay prelude o panimula sa Batas Militar.
Inamin ni Pangulong Marcos ang Bise-Presidente at mga dating Pangulong ng bansa mula sa NSC upang tiyakin na ang body ay maaaring maka-adapt sa nag-eebolusyon ng mga hamon.
Subalit, kagyat na pinuna at sinabi ng dating tagapagsalita ni dating Pangulong Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte na si Harry Roque sa kanyang Facebook post noong nakaraang linggo na “Uy, bakit wala [sa] NSC si VP Sara, Tatay [Digong], PGMA at Erap? Nung panahon ni Sr., ganito rin nung nagdeklara ng Martial Law. Mag take two kaya si Junior?”
“Alam mo kung iniisip mo yan lagi, that’s malicious,” ang tugon ni Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin.
“The Constitution is very clear when may a President declare martial law. I don’t think that is in the mind of the President right now… Malicious talaga si Mr. Harry Roque,” aniya pa rin sa press briefing sa Malakanyang.
Aniya pa, dahil ang NSC ay isang advisory body, may karapatan si Pangulong Marcos na siguruhin na kung sino man ang magpapayo sa kanya ay mayroong kanyang “fullest trust and confidence.”
“I am not saying that the Vice President does not anymore deserve to be trusted. But I am just saying that with the recent developments, it is not going to be good advice or good action on the part of the President to still have her onboard,” aniya pa rin.
“The President has the absolute power, the power of absolute reorganization, meaning he can choose the people he listens to or he would listen to. So if the National Security Council is supposed to be including members who are trusted by the President, then let it be understood in that light,” ang winika ni Bersamin.
Sa kabilang dako, maliban kay Roque ay kinastigo rin ni dating spokesperson Salvador Panelo ang balasahan sa NSC, sabay sabing Ito’y “smacks of dirty politics” at isang “brazen measure to diminish the political star power” sa mga Duterte.
Tinuran ni Bersamin na si Panelo ay walang anumang “moral authority” para kuwestiyunin ang naging hakbang ni Pangulong Marcos, sabay sabing may pagkakataon din na pinigilan ni Digong Duterte si dating Vice President Leni Robredo na dumalo sa mga NSC meeting.
Ang buweltang tugon naman ni Panelo ay “misinformed” si Bersamin.
“I never advocated the exclusion of former VP Robredo in the National Security Council. She was in fact invited and attended the National Security Council meeting in July, 2016 together with four living Presidents (FVR, ERAP, PGMA, PBCA) at that time during the Duterte presidency,” aniya pa. Kris Jose
