Modified VP security team to have more access to personnel, equipment —AFP

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Monday said it has expanded the Vice Presidential Security Detail (VPSD) to have more access to personnel, equipment, and other logistical requirements.

In a statement, the AFP said the current VPSD has been converted into the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG) as approved by the Department of National Defense (DND).

“It is now a separate unit of the AFP with more personnel, is better equipped, and is more capable of providing security in multiple engagements of the Vice President nationwide,” the AFP said in a statement Monday.

VPSPG was activated on June 24, days before Vice President-elect Sara Duterte, daughter of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, will start her six-year term.

The VPSD was under the Special Detail Unit (SDU) of the General Headquarters and Headquarters Service Command (GHQ and HSC), which also takes care of the management of Camp Aguinaldo.

“While the VPSD has been performing its mandate of protecting the second-highest elected official of the country, it has some limitations in terms of personnel, equipment, and other logistical requirements,” the AFP said.

“During official engagements of the Vice President especially in the countryside, units on the ground are normally being tapped to augment the VPSD,” it added.

The AFP said the conversion of VPSD into a separate unit VPSPG was recommended to prevent the disruption of AFP units performing their tasks in Internal Security Operations.

According to the AFP, the expansion underwent a thorough deliberation process at the General Headquarters (GHQ) long before the start of the 2022 election period.

“Thereafter, it underwent the usual approval process at the GHQ and DND just like any other reorganized unit,” the AFP said.  —Joviland Rita/KBK, GMA News