Sara heads caretaker panel as Marcos attends ASEAN Summit

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos has designated a committee that will serve as caretaker of the government while he is in Indonesia to attend the 42nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit.

In a text message, Presidential Communications Office Secretary Cheloy Garafil said Vice President Sara Duterte chairs the committee, which was supposed to be composed of Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and a Cabinet secretary.  

Garafil added that for this foreign trip, Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III was named as one of the caretakers, but he was not available so only Duterte and Bersamin convened the committee.

Duterte was the sole caretaker of the government during Marcos’ previous overseas travels.

Asked why a caretaker committee has been tapped to oversee the government this time, Garafil replied: “That’s been the arrangement ever since.”

Previous reports, however, indicated that Duterte was the caretaker of the government during Marcos’ overseas visits.

For instance, when the President went on state visits in Indonesia and Singapore last year, then executive secretary Victor Rodriguez signed Special Order No. 5 designating the Vice President as officer-in charge from Sept. 4 to 7.

Duterte also called herself “the caretaker” in a meeting with security officials in September.

“As the caretaker, may I reiterate the Marcos administration’s direction toward aggressively pursuing programs and projects that will address social inequities and further propel the country’s progress post-pandemic,” she said at the time.

Another example was when Marcos visited China last January. State-run Philippine News Agency reported that Duterte served as the government caretaker while the Chief Executive made a three-day visit to Beijing.

Marcos is scheduled to return from Indonesia today.

Sara named NTF-ELCAC co-vice chair

Vice President Sara Duterte has been named co-vice chair of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC.)

At a press briefing yesterday, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said Duterte’s “unstinting commitment in the cause of NTF-ELCAC will undoubtedly be valuable to the task force.”

“We thank her for accepting the challenge,” Año, vice chair of the NTF-ELCAC, said.

Duterte is also the education secretary.

“I have worked with Vice President Sara before. There will be no problem with us working together,” Año said. – With Edith Regalado, Ralph Edwin Villanueva