Clarita Carlos on leaving NSA post: Position became untenable

Former National Security Adviser Clarita Carlos said she offered to resign several times after Ferdinand Marcos Jr. relayed to her some information and she felt she had to leave the post.

In the latest episode of "The Mangahas Interviews", Carlos adverted to a "bungi" or gap in her being NSA, which she said she could not share because it was a "delicate" security issue.

"Nung kinausap ako ni President... and relayed to me some information which I was not privy to... I'm a fairly intelligent person so nabungian ang aking position as national security adviser," Carlos told journalist Malou Mangahas.

"So kapag bungi 'yon, the position  becomes untenable and immediately I offered to resign so many, many times in that one hour and a half conversation with the president," she added.

Carlos said Marcos told her that the country needed her "but maybe not as NSA."

"Dahil nga sa bungi na 'yun which I unfortunately cannot share with you because it's a delicate national security issue," Carlos said.

Carlos said Marcos made her choose from among several positions but opted to for a policy position at the Office of the Speaker. She is now the chief adviser of Speaker Martin Romualdez on security sector legislation.

"At least ako, wala nang nagtatarak ng punyal sa likod ko araw-araw. So na-relieve naman ako," Carlos said.

Carlos said her non-military background had been a disadvantage from the start.

"Just to clear things... from the beginning my not being a military already was a point against me even before I was sworn into office," Carlos said.

"What was because traditionally, being national security adviser had always been given to a military person because of the perceived external threat beyond our shores," she added.

"But I thought differently. it was the same case yung nabanggit mo sa national defense college na nagpusta-pusta yung mga tao dun na hindi ako maka-survive ng one week and of course, I was there for three years," Carlos said.

Carlos expressed her annoyance with the "gender bias."

"'Yang mga gender bias na 'yan ay talagang nakakayamot. It's just so abominable," Carlos said.

"Since day one, alam ko na na people are threatening to replace me," she added. —NB, GMA Integrated News