PNP: Recall of VP security cops had ‘prior coordination’

The Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Tuesday the recall of 75  police officers from Vice President Sara Duterte’s security detail had “prior coordination” and the “understanding” of her office.

In a press conference, PNP spokesperson Police Colonel Jean Fajardo explained that the Department of National Defense on July 9 ordered that the Vice  Presidential Security and Protection Group would be placed under the reorganized Presidential Security Command (PSC) as a sub-unit.

“So in-absorb  na ng PSC yung unit. As a result, nakipag-ugnayan mismo yung director ng PSPG (Police Security and Protection Group) sa Opisina ng Vice President para ipaalam sa kanila, kung maari, mag bawas ng PNP personnel dahil mahigit 100 ang naka detail,” Fajardo said.

“Nagkaroon ng  understanding na i-pull out yung 75. May maiiwan na 30 plus sa OVP,  maliban pa ito sa component ng Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP),”  she added.

(So the PSC absorbed the unit. As a result, the director of the PSPG coordinated with the OVP to inform them that, if possible, PNP personnel would be withdrawn since there were more than 100  in the security detail. There was an understanding that the 75 would be pulled out. More than 30 would be left in the OVP, apart from the component of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.)

Duterte called the PNP’s move to withdraw the 75 cops assigned to her security detail as political harassment.

She said the withdrawn cops had her "trust and confidence" as they had been part of former President Rodrigo Duterte's security detail since 2016,  while the others had been in her detail since 2007.

She called on her supporters and allies at the Senate to ensure her family's safety. 

Despite the decrease in the Vice President’s police security detail, Fajardo said Duterte would be protected as 31 PNP personnel were left, and her military protection remained.

The 75 cops were reassigned to the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) to increase police visibility in the region.

Aside from the 75 cops, Fajardo said 150 PSPG personnel and almost 600 policemen from the PNP National Headquarters had also been reassigned to the NCRPO.

“At nagamit natin ito pong mga pulis na itong nagdaang SONA (State of the Nation Address), itong nagdaan na bagyo,” Fajardo said.

She added that 23,000 police officers would be deployed on Monday as the 2024-2025 school year began. — DVM, GMA Integrated News