Lt. Col. Michael Aquino, PSG spokesperson (Photo by NESTOR CORRALES / INQUIRER.net)
The Presidential Security Group (PSG) has only 27 bomb detection dogs, three dogs short of the 30 dogs needed to protect President Rodrigo Duterte during official events.
Lt. Col. Michael Aquino, PSG spokesperson, made the clarification on Wednesday after a Commission on Audit (COA) report said the PSG only had 20 dogs left as of Dec. 31, 2016.
COA said this fell short of the ideal number of 25 dogs needed in “protecting the President through effective bomb detection operations during presidential engagements.”
Aquino said the minimum number of 25 dogs was set in 2016, but the PSG raised it to 30 this year.
“Twenty-five yung ceiling ng aso na kailangan natin, but as of the moment, ang ating aso ay 27 na,” Aquino told reporters. “But kung titingnan natin ang ceiling ng 2017 ay 30 siya at now we have 27 K-9 dogs,” Aquino told reporters.
Despite falling short of the 30 dogs needed, Aquino said the PSG was doing its best to fulfill its duty to protect the President.
“Sinisikap natin na maganmpanan ang ating trabaho inspite of this ideal number na kailangan,” he said.
He said the PSG had requested additional three dogs, which is worth a total of P3.5 million.
“Last 2015 nag-request tayo ng mga additional na aso which is worth P3.5 million.
He said the PSG last procured a dog for its K-9 unit in 2004. He explained that a dog could only be procured if it was 95 percent accurate in key abilities, like sniffing out bombs.
“Sa PSG, mas lalo hinihigpitan. May particular requirement na wala sa iba,” he said. “Standard natin na accuracy ng aso at least 95 percent.” /atm