MANILA, Philippines — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Monday expressed support for former Interior Secretary Eduardo Año in his appointment as the new National Security Adviser (NSA).
“Buo ang suporta ng DILG sa desisyon ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. na italaga si dating DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año bilang bagong National Security Adviser,” Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. said in a statement.
(The DILG fully supports the decision of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to appoint former DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año as the new National Security Adviser.)
Abalos then told Año that the National Security Council could count on the DILG and the Philippine National Police, including local government units, in the programs and policies he would implement for the general security and peace of the country.
To recall, Año previously served as head of the DILG during the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte, while Abalos served as head of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
“Naniniwala kami na buong husay na ginagampanan ni Año ang kanyang bagong tungkulin bilang NSA at tagapayo ng Pangulo sa mga isyu ng seguridad ng bansa dahil na rin sa malawak na karanasan niya sa Armed Forces of the Philippines, sa Department of National Defense at pati na rin sa DILG,” said Abalos.
(We believe that Año is capable of performing his new role as NSA and advisor to the President on national security issues because of his extensive experience in the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Department of National Defense, and DILG.)
As NSA, Año will now also serve as the vice chair of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac), which has been known to red-tag activists and government critics.