MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday, July 30, appealed for protection for her family members from ‘any violence,” after the Philippine National Police (PNP) recalled its 75 personnel from her security detail.
“Isa lang ang hiling ko sa inyo — ang kaligtasan ng aking pamilya. Huwag ninyong payagan ang anumang karahasan sa aking ina, asawa, at apat na anak, personal man o sa internet. At kung sakali man, huwag ninyong palampasin ang sinumang gagawa ng kapahamakan laban sa kanila,” Duterte said in a statement.
(I only have one wish — the safety of my family. Don’t allow any violence against my mother, husband, and four children, physically or online. And just in case, do not let anyone who causes harm to them get away with it.)
The Vice President issued the statement after Senator Bato dela Rosa, a former PNP chief, encouraged former members of the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) “who are good at unarmed combat and volunteering” to volunteer for the security detail of the Vice President.
“Bayanihan lang walang suweldo (Volunteer work, no salary),” Dela Rosa posted on his Facebook account on Monday, July 29.
The Vice President thanked Dela Rosa and senators Robin Padilla and Bong Go, PNP and AFP staff, and ordinary people who offered to provide security for them.
‘Political harassment’
In a separate Facebook post on Monday, the Vice President called the removal of 75 cops from her security detail a “clear case of political harassment.”
In a lengthy open letter, she called out PNP chief Rommel Marbil for allegedly “spreading lies” about the pullout of the cops.
“Ang relief ng mga PNP personnel ay dumating pagkatapos ko magresign sa DepEd, pagkatapos ko inihambing ang SONA sa isang catastrophic event, at pagkatapos lumabas ang cocaine video. Let us spare our people from all the lies,” she said.
(The relief of the PNP personnel came after I resigned from DepEd, after I compared the SONA to a catastrophic event, and after the cocaine video came out. Let us spare our people from all the lies.)
She was referring to the video that circulated hours before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s third State of the Nation Address. (READ: Face-swapped? Deepfake detector flags alleged Marcos video as ‘suspicious’)
Duterte also refuted Marbil’s claim that her security detail was reduced as they saw “no threat” to her lift. Marbil had also said that the PNP lacked personnel to do ground duties, forcing others to do overtime work.
“Hindi ba’t mayroong malisyosong pagpapalabas ng video footage noong ako’y nasa NAIA? Kuha sa isang lugar kung saan pawang mga empleyado lamang ng paliparan at piling mga tao ang maaring nandoon,” she said/
She was referring to the viral photo on social media which showed the Vice President and her family at the airport leaving for a “personal overseas trip” while parts of the country experienced calamitous floods.
Duterte also claimed that PNP operatives recently visited the house they were renting to do “casing” activity. “Pilit pang inaalam kung nasaan mismo ang bahay na inuupahan ko. Bahay kung saan rin nakatira ang aking mga anak. Kung hindi ito napigilan ng mga nagmagandang loob na opisyal ng homeowners’ association, hindi ko na alam kung ano pa ang maaring mangyari,” she said.
(They were trying to find out the exact location of the house I’m renting. A house where my children also live. If it weren’t for the intervention of officials of the homeowners’ association, I don’t know what might have happened.)
In a statement on Tuesday, Senator Imee Marcos called for the return of the cops to the security detail of the Vice President.
“First, she is the second highest elected official in the country whose safety must never be compromised. Second, she is a Duterte, who, like her father, is a staunch defender of law and order, hence topping the CPP-NPA’s order of battle,” the senator said.
How many security staff does she have?
In 2022, the AFP activated for Duterte the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG), which is a separate unit from the PSG. Duterte then thanked the AFP for activating tje VPSG, saying that it “may be expected to solve the challenges if, in future elections, the vice president and the president face the misfortune of having strained relations.”
A Commission on Audit Report in 2022 showed that Duterte had 433 personnel for VPSPG, which was 63% of the total number of OVP staff. Her predecessor, former vice president Leni Robredo, only had 78 military personnel assigned for her security.
Duterte then defended the VPSPG’s numbers, saying that additional security was needed for her roles in the Marcos Cabinet, such as the education secretary and co-vice chairperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict. The Vice President resigned from both positions, effectively leaving the Marcos Cabinet, on July 19.
Reporters have reached out to OVP to get the current number of personnel under the VPSPG, but it has yet to respond as of posting time. This page will be updated once we get a response. – Rappler.com