Vice President Sara Duterte | PHOTO: Official Facebook apge of Inday Sara Duterte
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte’s security group now has a temporary residence inside the general headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Quezon City.
Duterte attended the inauguration and blessing of the new facilities and vehicles at Camp Aguinaldo, as seen in photos she shared on a Facebook post on Thursday.
“I had the pleasure of attending the blessing of the new facilities and vehicles of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG) at Camp Emilio Aguinaldo last week,” she wrote in Filipino.
“It was successful because of the cooperation of the AFP and the Office of the Vice President so that they have a proper office and temporary residence,” she added.
According to Duterte, the new facilities and assets would help the VPSPG ensure her safety while performing her duties.
Last August, the AFP revealed that around 400 of its personnel are under the VPSPG.
READ: 400 AFP personnel assigned to VP Duterte’s security group – spox
The AFP explained that the number of Duterte’s security detail members increased because her security group is now under the Presidential Security Command (PSC).
This complied with an assignment of unit order issued by AFP on July 9, designating the VPSPG-AFP as a “subordinate unit” of the PSC.
Duterte’s security group was a hot topic in July after she confirmed that the Philippine National Police (PNP) pulled out all 75 members of her security group.
She slammed PNP chief Gen. Rommel Marbil for his alleged lies concerning the withdrawal of her police protection detail “immediately” after she resigned from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Cabinet, her comment on his State of the Nation Address, and the circulation of Marcos’ video online where he was supposedly using illegal drugs.
She likewise called the removal of her police security a “clear case of political harassment” and claimed that the national police were “casing” her residence.
The PNP leadership said “there’s no truth” to Duterte’s allegations.