Vice presidential security group activated by AFP

A new unit dedicated to provide protection to the vice president has been activated by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Friday.

The Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG) will also ensure the safety and security of the vice president's family, the AFP said in a press release.

The activation ceremony was held at the AFP General Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

AFP chief of staff General Andres Centino installed Lieutenant Colonel Rene Giroy of the Philippine Army as the first VPSPG group commander.

“The AFP saw it fitting to provide the Office of the Vice President a dedicated unit that shall ensure the safety and security of the second-highest elected official in the country,” Centino said.

The VPSPG was formerly the Vice Presidential Security Detachment.

“I am confident that the newly-designated acting VPSPG Commander and the rest of the officers and enlisted personnel entrusted to ensure the safety, security, and welfare of the Vice President and her family shall perform their responsibilities to the best of their abilities,” Centino said.

In a statement, Vice President-elect Sara Duterte thanked Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Centino, and the AFP "for the positive response and action to the request that a security unit separate from the Presidential Security Group be created and be assigned to the Office of the Vice President."

She said the activation of the VPSPG was commendable "as it will resolve the matter of continuity in security for all vice presidents of the Philippines."

"This AFP initiative also highlights the importance of having an independent group that will provide all Philippine vice presidents with the necessary security and protection," Duterte said. 

"That foresight demonstrated in this activation was likewise highly laudable — 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."

Duterte will take office on June 30. —KG/VBL, GMA News