Marcos' security doubled following Sara Duterte's kill remark

An official from the Presidential Security Command (PSC) on Monday said President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s security has been doubled following Vice President Sara Duterte's assassination remark against the First Couple and Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.

"Ang instructions sa amin dito ido-double natin ang security ni President, lalo sa mga upcoming activities niya mas pinaigting natin 'yung security," Major Nestor Endozo, PSC civil military operations officer, told Palace reporters.

(The instruction to us was that the President's security will be doubled, especially on his upcoming activities. We will heighten security.)

Endozo, however, said there was no instruction yet to limit the public engagements of the President.

"Wala namang instruction sa amin kasi manggagaling naman sa PCO (Presidential Communications Office) at PMS (Presidential Management Staff) 'yung schedule," Endozo said.

(There's no instruction yet because the schedule will come from the PCO and PMS.)

The PSC official also said they would wait for further instructions with regard to Marcos' security, including the use of bulletproof glass.

Duterte had stood firm that her statement that she ordered to have President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. killed if an alleged plot against her succeeds was "maliciously taken out of logical context."

This developed after the National Security Council said Sunday that it considers all threats to Marcos as serious and a matter of national security.

In a statement on Saturday, the PSC said it has implemented tighter security measures in the wake of the Vice President's supposed threat, which it considers a "matter of national security."

"Pursuant to the directive of the Executive Secretary, the Presidential Security Command (PSC) has heightened and strengthened its security protocols. We are also closely coordinating with law enforcement agencies to detect, deter, and defend against any and all threats to the President and the First Family," the PSC said.

The Vice President made the kill remark early Saturday morning during an online media conference held at the House of Representatives where Office of the Vice President (OVP) chief of staff and undersecretary Zuleika Lopez was detained after being cited in contempt.

Lopez drew flak from lawmakers after she confirmed that she signed a letter asking state auditors not to comply with a subpoena from the House appropriations panel concerning submission of audit reports on the confidential fund use of the OVP and DepEd in years 2022 and 2023.

The Vice President has maintained that she has never misused public funds, and that the ongoing House panel inquiry is not in aid of legislation but a dry run of an impeachment bid against her. — VDV, GMA Integrated News