Vice President Sara Duterte —Official Facebook page of Inday Sara Duterte
MANILA, Philippines — The Presidential Security Command (PSC) on Tuesday committed to ensuring the security of Vice President Sara Duterte.
The PSC made the pronouncement after the Philippine National Police pulled out 75 members of Duterte’s police protection.
READ: VP Duterte: PNP pulls out 75 cops assigned for my security
“The [PSC] is ready to ensure the security and safety of the Vice President,” PSC Commander Brig. Gen. Nelson Morales told Malacañang reporters.
According to Police chief Rommel Marbil, the PNP pulled out its officers in Duterte’s security detail as it is no longer under the PNP, but the PSC.
He explained that the withdrawn officers will instead be used to address the PNP’s shortage of personnel, especially in Metro Manila.
Duterte, for her part, confirmed the withdrawal of her police security and assured the public that it will not affect her job as Vice President.
A Commission on Audit report of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) in 2022 showed that there are 433 members of Duterte’s Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group.
These 433 members make up the 683 total number of personnel in the OVP, also based on the same report.
Both Duterte and the OVP have yet to confirm how many security personnel Duterte has left.