Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said Tuesday that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was not thinking about implementing martial law or extending his term when he reorganized the National Security Council (NSC).

“I don’t think it is in the mind of the President right now. What he has in mind is the economic prosperity of the country, the health and welfare of the people especially those of the lower classes, and the prioritization of his legacy projects. The President accepts that as the number one concern. It’s the about martial law, it’s not about extending himself in power,” Bersamin said at a Palace briefing.

Marcos earlier issued Executive Order 81 which reorganized the National Security Council (NSC). It removed Vice President Sara Duterte and former Presidents Rodrigo Duterte, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo-- now a Pampanga congresswoman-- and Joseph Estrada.

In a post on Facebook, former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque questioned why Vice President Duterte, former president Rodrigo Duterte and Joseph Estrada were not part of the NSC, implying that it was similar to when the elder Marcos declared Martial Law in 1972.

In response to a remark by former Presidential chief legal council Salvador Panelo that Duterte’s removal was “ill-advised” and a result of “dirty politics", Bersamin stressed that the move was “nothing personal” and that she was no longer relevant to the advisory body.

“The President has the right, as well as the responsibility of seeing to it that whoever advises him is within his fullest trust and confidence. Now, I’m not saying that the Vice President does not anymore deserved to be trusted. But I’m 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,” Bersamin said.

“Now, anyway, 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,” he added.

“It’s nothing personal, 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,” he said. Jaspearl Tan/DMS