MANILA, Philippines — Former chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo said on Tuesday that he “never advocated the exclusion of” former vice president Leni Robredo from the National Security Council (NSC).
“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,” Panelo said.
On July 27, 2016, then president Rodrigo Duterte presided over the NSC meeting in Malacañan Palace. where former presidents Fidel Ramos (FVR), Joseph Estrada (Erap), Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA), and Benigno Aquino 3rd (BCA) were present, as well as Robredo.
Panelo was reacting to Bersamin’s comment in a press briefing on Tuesday that he has “no moral authority to question the decision of the president” on the reorganization of the NSC, which excluded Vice President Sara Duterte and the former presidents.
Panelo said the president’s decision was “ill-advised” and smacked of “dirty politics.”
Bersamin said there was “nothing personal” in his comment “Wala kaming personalan but my statement before was the vice president has ceased to be relevant as far as the responsibilities of that membership in the National Security Council is concerned.”
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