AFP: 400 soldiers provide Sara security

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Vice President Sara Duterte is still being secured by around 400 military personnel despite the reduction of her police security.

In a press conference on Tuesday at Camp Aguinaldo, military spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said the 400 soldiers are part of the VP Security and Protection Group (VPSPG)-AFP.

Based on the assignment of unit order from the AFP general headquarters, the VPSPG will be “assigned as a subordinate unit” of the Presidential Security Command effective 9 July.

The Vice Presidential Security Detachment Office of the VP into VPSPG-AFP was activated on 30 June 2022.

The order stated, “the VPSPG-AFP shall protect the VP and the family in order to ensure their safety and security.”

Padilla said the number and the augmentation of security personnel to be deployed for the VP depends on the requirement for any engagement.

“Suffice to say that, [it] would be enough because if needed. So, for example there will be a big engagement that are involved, if the PSC couldn’t support it, we usually do augmentation,” she noted.

Backing the remarks of Philippine National Police Chief General Rommel Francisco Marbil, Padilla said the military so far sees no security threat against Duterte.

“The PNP has already spoken. There is no threat to the life of the vice president. There is no imminent threat to our Vice President. On the side of the AFP, of course, we’ll be performing our mission of protecting our VVIPs from harm so we will be continuing to do that now as part of the mandate of the presidential security command,” she noted.