PNP chief: VP still has 389 security personnel

Vice President Sara Duterte and PNP Chief Rommel Francisco Marbil

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte still has nearly 400 military and police officers in her security detail even after he pulled out 75 police personnel, Philippine National Police chief Gen. Rommel Marbil told senators on Monday.

Speaking at a hearing by the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, the PNP chief defended his decision to recall the 75 cops from the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG) as part of a “rationalization” program to improve police visibility around the country.

Marbil disputed claims that he had arbitrarily removed Duterte’s entire police escorts, saying that 31 PNP members were still with the VPSPG, a new unit that the Armed Forces of the Philippines had organized for Duterte early in her term as Vice President in 2022.

He also said that 358 AFP personnel were assigned to the VPSPG. This makes a total of 389 in Duterte’s security detail.

READ: Sara Duterte cries ‘political harassment’ as PNP security detail taken away

Last week, lawyer Barry Gutierrez said Duterte’s predecessor, Leni Robredo, only had 83 security personnel assigned to her, from 108 in 2016.

Duterte’s security is “more than four times what VP Leni got,” said Gutierrez, who served as Robredo’s spokesperson when she was vice president.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla also said last week that Duterte’s detail even after the PNP pullout was “more than [that of] President [Marcos].”

Senate allies

Marbil also told the senators that the PNP did not see any security threats against Duterte or her family.

“She has no threats. We don’t see any. She’s loved by our people,” he said in response to a question by Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, committee chair and a leading ally of Duterte.

The Senate inquiry, which was supposed to tackle the June 10 police operation that failed to arrest fugitive preacher Apollo Quiboloy in Davao City, became an occasion for Duterte’s allies in the Senate to persuade Marbil to reinstate her police escorts.

Sen. Robinhood Padilla asked the PNP chief if there was “political pressure [to] remove” the Vice President’s police security.

“There’s no political pressure. What we are doing is really to rationalize the deployment of our PNP personnel,” Marbil said.

“We have to change our policy regarding troop deployment… because we need more people on the ground. What we want is to be very strict [with] our police procedures. We have actually filed cases against policemen for moonlighting [as private security agents],” he added.

Marbil said his rationalization program also covered police personnel assigned to some of his “mistah” (classmates) from the Philippine Military Academy.

Dela Rosa, himself a former PNP chief, noted that Duterte was “not comfortable” with the police officers left with her security.

He urged Marbil to allow the Vice President to personally handpick the police officers for her detail.

“Can I get your commitment [on that]?” Dela Rosa asked Marbil, who answered yes.

Open letter

Dela Rosa also challenged Marbil’s claim that there were no direct threats against Duterte, arguing that her “strong stance” against communist rebels would naturally make her their target.

“The [PNP] is not the one making the threat assessment. It’s the Presidential Security Command (PSC),” Marbil said. “If the PSC asks our help and asks for more personnel, then we will provide them,” he added.

In a four-page open letter she posted on Facebook on June 29, the Vice President accused Marbil of spewing lies to justify the recall of her police escorts.

“Let us spare our people from all the lies. Let us call it what it is—a clear case of political harassment,” said Duterte, who did not address Marbil as PNP chief.