MANILA – The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) announced on Tuesday that Vice President Sara Duterte is still protected by approximately 400 military personnel, despite the recent reduction in her police security.
AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla stated that these 400 soldiers are part of the VP Security Group under the Presidential Security Command. This is the standard number that can be deployed at any time, with the option to request additional personnel as needed for specific engagements.
“Suffice to say that that would be enough,” Padilla said during a media briefing at Camp Aguinaldo. “Kung hindi din kayang suportahan ng PSC, we usually do augmentation.”
Padilla emphasized that there is no current security threat against Duterte.
“There is no imminent threat to our Vice President. On the side of the AFP… of course, we’ll be performing our mission of protecting our VVIPs,” she added.
Vice President Duterte previously issued an open letter to Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Rommel Marbil concerning the withdrawal of 75 police officers from her security detail, describing the action as targeting some of her most trusted personnel.
“Let us call it what it is — a clear case of political harassment,” she stated.
Marbil informed a Senate panel on Monday that the reduction in Duterte’s police security was intended to rationalize PNP’s deployment and increase police visibility. He also noted that Duterte was not the only official affected by the security reduction.