VP security to be replaced with new personnel

MANILA, Philippines —  The government is replacing the head and members of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG) with a new contingent from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police (PNP), AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. announced yesterday.

In a speech during a leadership summit at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Brawner said they received a subpoena from the PNP that called for members of the VPSPG to be investigated due to the commotion at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) in Quezon City over the weekend.

Vice President Sara Duterte, who claims there are threats to her life, said she would refuse the new security contingent and would instead rely on her own team, which is being put together by friends.

Brawner clarified that he is not taking over the VPSPG but is replacing personnel including its commander, Col. Raymund Dante Lachica, because of ongoing police and legislative investigations.

“There were rumors that the security for the Vice President will be pulled out by the AFP. That is not true. So, the story here is that we received a subpoena from the PNP calling the members of the VPSPG for investigation,” he said.

“There is an investigation. So we followed the subpoena and what we will do is we are just going to temporarily replace them with a contingent from the PNP and from the AFP,” he explained.

In an interview after his speech, Brawner told reporters that it is not yet clear if all VPSPG personnel will be replaced, since all are still under study.

Brawner also gave assurance that the military will continue to protect and will not allow any harm to come to Vice President Sara Duterte.

“We will not leave her because the security of the Vice President is still of primary concern to us. Because if there’s an untoward incident, let’s say something happens to the Vice President, this may be the start of disorder. Because according to what she said, she will take actions against the President, the First Lady and the Speaker of the House,” Brawner said.

“We don’t want that to happen. What if there are some groups there that may do something to the Vice President just to blame it on another and then that could cause chaos. So we will not allow that, we will not allow that. So we will still protect the our Vice President,” Brawner said.

At a related news briefing, PNP public information officer Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo said that 25 officers from the Police Security and Protection Group were assigned to Duterte’s security detail on Tuesday.

Fajardo said the reassignment of the police officers to the VPSPG was upon the request of the AFP in anticipation of a possible recall of military personnel from Duterte’s security detail.

The PNP earlier recalled 75 police officers from Duterte’s security detail. Thirty-one other PNP personnel were retained but they were under-utilized, Fajardo said.

“This is again the prerogative of our Vice President, that’s why they were recalled since they are under-utilized,” she said.

On Duterte’s claim that she has been receiving threats to her security, Fajardo said they have no information of any threat to the Vice President’s life.

Terrorism?

Vice President Duterte’s alleged assassination plot against President Marcos, First Lady Liza Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez may be considered as terrorism under the Anti-Terror Law, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Citing Section 4 of Republic Act 11479 or the Anti-Terror law, Justice Undersecretary Jesse Andres said the punishable acts include engaging in acts intended to cause death or serious bodily injury to any person or endangers a person’s life.

“If you engage in acts intended to harm or cause the death of other individuals, that’s part of terrorism. Especially if the purpose is to intimidate and create an atmosphere of fear,” Andres said.

He pointed out that a threat to the President’s life is a national security matter, considering that the one accused of plotting against him is the Vice President.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) earlier served a subpoena to Duterte to explain her declaration of allegedly hiring a hitman to kill Marcos if an alleged plot against her succeeds.

In the subpoena, the NBI noted Duterte’s “possible violation” of Republic Act 11479 or the “Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020,” which was enacted when her father Rodrigo Duterte was president.

No loyalty checks

Meanwhile, Brawner is confident that despite what is currently happening in the country, he “is not worried at all” because he is sure that “the whole Armed Forces of the Philippines will remain professional and competent.”

“So there is no need for loyalty check because our soldiers and officers are loyal to their oath. When we entered the service, we took a vow, we took an oath and, in that oath, we said that we will always defend the Constitution of the Philippines, defend our country and defend the duly constituted authorities. So, in that aspect, I am not worried,” he said.

The AFP chief also stressed that the military will not heed calls for it to intervene in what former president Duterte described as “a fractured government that only the military can fix.”

“But that is not our job. Our job is to protect the Republic of the Philippines, protect its people, defend our territory and defend our sovereignty and our sovereign rights,” he emphasized.

He said past cases of military adventurism will no longer succeed today and the AFP “will not take the law into our own hands. We will remain professional. If they want change, we have a process for that under our democracy. So, let’s allow that to happen.”

Brawner added that while each and everyone may have their own political beliefs that are respected, for soldiers such beliefs and opinions cannot be openly declared or discussed.  –  Daphne Galvez, Emmanuel Tupaz