PNP: Politicians starting to ask for security escorts ahead of 2010 polls

MANILA, Philippines - A Philippine National Police (PNP) official said yesterday that several politicians have started requesting police security escorts, claiming that they have threats related to the elections next year.

Chief Superintendent Lina Sarmiento, head of the PNP-Police Security and Protection Group (PSPG), said they have received letters of request for security escorts with only nine months to go before the May 2010 national and local elections.

“We have received a number of requests for police security and we are now validating these requests,” Sarmiento told The STAR.

She said the PSPG is careful in assigning police escorts to prevent depleting the manpower of the unit, which is task to secure government officials and private citizens with valid threats.

PNP chief Director General Jesus Verzosa said the police would limit government officials and private individuals to only two armed escorts.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno said that under the new order, a government official or private individual should show proof that his life is under serious threat to be exempted from this two-escort limit rule.

“We are going to tighten this procedure a little bit by requiring that only two security escorts be provided for each individual,” Puno said earlier.

Puno said he has already stopped the practice of assigning officers from the PNP’s Special Action Force to act as security escorts, which is the task of the PSPG.

He said the directive also covers local chief executives, who usually have more than two police escorts.

In the 2007 elections, the PNP assigned only two policemen as detailed VIP security personnel for every government official or electoral candidate, and those who wanted to be exempted had to get the approval of the Commission on Elections.