As government caretaker while President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is away on state visits to neighboring Asian countries this week, Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday, Sept. 5, got a security briefing from the heads of the country’s security sector.
“We discussed the peace and order situation in our country and how we can maintain the security of our country until President Marcos comes back from his state visits,” she told the media after reading a prepared media statement about the lunch meeting.
She added that they also discussed the collaboration and coordination between the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and how the two offices support the Office of the President (OP) and the “respective agencies and departments” of the security sector.
Though she said there were no specifics discussed and was no terror threat, she and the heads of the security sector “reassured each other na (that) the OP, the OVP, and the entire government is behind all of them sa kanilang trabaho (in their job) against terrorism.”
“That’s why I mentioned in my prepared statement and that was communicated also to them that there should be no mercy to terrorists and criminals,” Duterte added.
The Vice President hosted a lunch meeting with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and its major services—the Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force (PAF), and the Philippine Navy—at the DepEd central office in Pasig City.
READ: VP Duterte gathers security officials, seeks ‘hardline’ stance vs criminals, terrorists
She also met with the chiefs and official representatives of the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), and officials from the OVP and the DepEd.
Aside from national security issues and ensuring how to maintain the security of the country while Marcos is away on state visits to Indonesia and Singapore this week, Duterte shared that she also discussed the “specific issues” of the departments.
With the BFP, the Vice President said that she discussed how to train the learners, while she also delved into the rape case of the four teachers in Camarines Sur with the PNP.
Marcos will be out of the country until Wednesday, Sept. 7, leaving Duterte as government caretaker.
This is the first time in 12 years that the Chief Executive has appointed the Vice President as caretaker while he was away on foreign trips.