Former Interior Secretary Eduardo Año has been appointed by President Marcos as the new National Security Adviser. He has replaced Clarita Carlos, a political science professor, who decided to pursue her scholastic endeavors, Malacañang said.

The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said Año took his oath before President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. in Malacañang on Saturday, Jan. 14.

He served as secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Governments (DILG) during the Duterte administration. He also served as chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) under President Benigno S. Aquino III.

The PCO said in a statement that Carlos would be moving to the House of Representatives.

"Professor Clarita Carlos has decided to continue her pursuit of scholastic endeavors as she joins the Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department (CPBRD) of the House of Representatives," it wrote.

The CPBRD provides the House of Representatives with technical services in formulating national economic, fiscal, and social policies.

In a statement, Carlos said it was "no longer politic" to continue serving as Marcos' NSA and that moving to a different agency would be better.

Carlos: I have realized that it is no longer politic to continue as NSA to and so, I have decided to migrate to another agency where my expertise on foreign, defense and security policy will be of use and I shall continue to help build a Better Philippines. @manilabulletin

— Argyll Cyrus Geducos (@argyllcyrus_MB) January 14, 2023

"I have realized that it is no longer politic to continue as NSA to the President, and so, I have decided to migrate to another agency where my expertise on foreign, defense, and security policy will be of use, and I shall continue to help build a Better Philippines," she said.

Carlos was one of Marcos' first appointees after winning the May 2022 elections.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Teodoro Locsin Jr., thought Año's appointment was a good decision, describing his former colleague in the Cabinet as a "hero."

Superb. Ańo took 4 hits when he led the fight against Covid on the ground. His wife too got infected. A hero. Now we can be trusted with Free World intelligence. https://t.co/iP5ikG2ZXi

— Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) January 14, 2023

"Superb. Año took four hits when he led the fight against Covid on the ground. His wife, too, got infected. A hero," he wrote in a tweet.

"Now we can be trusted with Free World intelligence," he added.

Locsin and Año were both Cabinet members of the previous Duterte administration. Locsin served as the Foreign Affairs Secretary before Marcos tapped him to be the country's ambassador to the UK.