Sara Duterte says PNP removes 75 cops from her security detail

PNP chief Police General Rommel Marbil says the removal of the PNP personnel from the Vice President's security was not for political reasons

MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Sara Duterte confirmed on Tuesday, July 23, that the Philippine National Police (PNP) has removed 75 of its personnel from her security detail.

“I confirm that on 22 July 2024, an order was issued by the Chief of the Philippine National Police relieving all of the 75 PNP Police and Security Group personnel that were previously assigned for my protection,” the Vice President said in a statement.

Duterte said that the removal of the PNP personnel from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) security detail will not affect her work as the second highest official of the land.

“I do hope, however, that with this latest directive of the Chief PNP, we hear less cries from the people regarding the proliferation of drugs in the country, and that even fewer shall fall victim to various criminal activities,” Duterte said.

In a chance interview with reporters on Tuesday, PNP chief Police General Rommel Marbil said that the removal of the PNP personnel from the Vice President’s security was not for political reasons. He said that the PNP lacked personnel to do ground duties, forcing others to do overtime work.

“What we’re doing now, especially sa [National Capital Region] na kulang kulang mga tao natin, nagbawas kami ng mga tao na hindi naman nila kailangan,” he said. (What we’re doing now, especially in the National Capital Region, which lacks personnel, we removed people that they don’t need.)

Marbil clarified that the cops were not removed from the PNP, but were only reassigned. He added that the order was also released after discussion with Duterte’s chief of staff.

The PNP chief said that the security detail of the vice president comes from the Presidential Security Command, previously known as the Presidential Security Group (PSG).

“Kasi marami sila, hindi naman used. Kasi ang presidential security, ang nagbabantay sa president and sa [vice president] (They are many, and not all being used. Because the presidential security is the one in-charge for the protection of the president and the vice president. It’s more of the military,” he said.

In 2022, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) activated for Duterte the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG), which is a separate unit from the PSG. Duterte then thanked the AFP for activating VPSG, saying that it “may be expected to solve the challenges if, in future elections, the vice president and the president face the misfortune of having strained relations.”

A Commission on Audit Report in 2022 showed that Duterte had 433 personnel for VPSG – which was 63% of the total number of OVP staff. Her predecessor, former vice president Leni Robredo, only had 78 detailed military personnel assigned for her security.

Duterte then defended the VPSG’s numbers, saying that additional security was needed for her roles in the Marcos Cabinet, such as the education secretary and co-vice chairperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict. The Vice President resigned from the Marcos Cabinet, effective July 19.

Reporters have reached out to OVP to get the current number of personnel under the VPSG, but it has yet to respond as of this posting. – Rappler.com