Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua on Tuesday, July 30, urged Vice President Sara Duterte to refrain from politicizing the pullout of 75 police personnel from her security team since it was “only reduced” to augment the current needs of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Chua made the remark after Duterte insinuated that the removal of the cops from her personal security team is a “clear case of political harassment.”
“First of all, we should respect the decision of the PNP because they are the ones knowledgeable on where to deploy our police officers. We should always remember that usually, our police are facing a shortage of personnel. Security was not totally removed from her,” Chua said in a press briefing at the Batasang Pambansa Complex.
“It was only reduced so that it could be used for more important agencies or assignments. So not every action should be given malice or colored with politics, especially if this was only done in line with their jobs as police officers,” he added.
In addition to urging Duterte not to politicize the PNP’s actions, Chua speculated that Duterte might be trying to divert attention from the criticism she faced for her trip to Germany while Typhoon Carina (internal name: Gaemi) and the strong southwest monsoon were devastating many parts of the country last week.
The Office of the Vice President (OVP) confirmed that Duterte flew to Germany, acknowledging the poor timing of her trip but clarifying that it had been scheduled before the typhoon occurred.
“I think there is no politics here, but maybe they are just trying to divert the issue, because remember, she addressed this concern when the issue of her making the trip to Germany in the middle of a typhoon popped out,” Chua said.
“I think they’re trying to divert the issue because this should not be gleaned from a political lens. The PNP is just doing their job, I hope we respect how they do their job,” he added.
In a separate statement on Tuesday, Presidential Security Command (PSC) Chief Major General Nelson Morales said the Vice President Security and Protection Group (VPSPG) will now operate as a sub-unit of the PSC.
Morales also said the PSC, the former name of the Presidential Security Group that is tasked with securing the President and Vice President, their families, and high-profile visitors, has been reorganized into a full command.
He emphasized that the PSC remains a professional and mission-oriented Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) unit, dedicated to fulfilling its expanded role in securing the Vice President.
“We will accomplish that mission,” Morales said.
The VPSPG was established in 2022 as a specialized unit tasked with ensuring the security of the Vice President and her family, with 433 personnel that year, according to a report by the Commission on Audit.
This week, Duterte released an “open letter” to Marbil, claiming that the reassignment of 75 police officers was an act of “political harassment” against her, emphasizing that the transferred officers were PNP personnel she trusted.
She also expressed concerns about her family’s safety, stating that police had “cased” her house and attempted to discover her residence.
In response to the changes in Duterte’s security arrangements, Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, a former PNP chief, urged retired police and military personnel to volunteer for additional security.
The personnel transfer, which Marbil stated is unrelated to politics, has sparked controversy due to the growing rift between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Duterte, who resigned from the Cabinet last month. (TCSP)
