Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Police General Rommel Marbil on Monday ordered all law enforcement personnel to refrain from holding umbrellas for very important persons (VIPs) in any events.

Marbil made the order at the flag-raising ceremony at Camp Crame, Quezon City, saying he wanted to bring back the dignity of the PNP uniform.

"I have barred the police... every time we have an anniversary, we see our police in uniform, especially the corporals, they are the ones carrying the umbrellas," Marbil said.

“That's already prohibited. That's not right. That's not the work of the police. Let us respect our uniform. Let's show that we are people with dignity. We are not somebody’s workers; we are the police. We are not bodyguards. We are not drivers. We are not assistants. We can’t be bought. We are the police of the country," he added.

To recall, at least 373 personnel were recalled from the Police Security and Protection Group (PSPG) in July and according to Marbil,143 PSPG personnel were also recalled from key officers of private companies registered with the government, 57 from retired police generals, 14 from resident aliens, and various protectees' or VIPs.