NEWS
Sara: No adverse CoA findings on VPSPG
Comparisons between Vice President Sara Duterte and the security personnel of former vice presidents are absurd and completely lacking basis
Vice President Sara Duterte on Sunday broke her silence and refuted claims and insinuations regarding the 433 security escorts assigned to her office in 2022.
"The Commission on Audit found no adverse findings on the creation of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group," Duterte said in a statement.
The VPSPG, according to Duterte, was formed independently in 2022 from the Presidential Security Group to provide "all future Philippine Vice Presidents with the necessary security and protection."
The security and protection groups, she said, will continue to fulfill their respective tasks even if the President's and the VP's relationship should be strained because of political issues.
Duterte's remark came days after the CoA said the OVP had 433 escorts in 2022 providing her security and protection.
The audit findings revealed that the number was a 455 percent increase from the 78 detailed military personnel under the OVP in 2021 during then-vice president Leni Robredo's final full term.
According to CoA, 433, or 63 percent out of the 683 personnel listed on the VPSPG workforce were security personnel.
Nevertheless, Duterte brushed off the allegations deduced from the numbers, deeming them "absurd" and "completely lacking basis."
"Comparisons between Vice President Sara Duterte and the security personnel of former vice presidents are absurd and completely lacking basis," Duterte said.
Due to her roles as head of the Department of Education and co-vice chairperson of NTF-ELCAC, in addition to holding the second-highest position in the nation, Duterte claimed that the additional security personnel were necessary.
On 25 June last year, days before Duterte assumed the VP post, the Armed Forces of the Philippines announced the activation of the VPSPG, a military unit dedicated to securing and protecting the vice president and her family.
"The OVP remains grateful to the AFP and PNP for supporting the VPSPG and OVP," Duterte said. "The deployment of VPSPG personnel largely depends on the assessment of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police."