📷Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Rommel Marbil
WEEKS after Vice President Sara Duterte was stripped of 75 security escorts, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Rommel Marbil admitted that the recall order was in consonance with the threat assessment made by the Presidential Security Command.
During a Senate hearing Marbil also warded off allegations that somebody else was behind the order, even as he insisted that there was no political pressure behind his directive to recall VP Sara’s 75 bodyguards.
It was meant to rationalize police deployment, he noted.
“Wala pong political pressure. Ang ginagawa po natin is to really rationalize yung deployment ng PNP natin,” Marbil told members of the Senate.
In fact, he further said, Duterte wasn’t the only government official from whom cops were withdrawn – but also those of his “classmates who were generals.”
The PNP chief said that such a bold move is primarily aimed at professionalizing the PNP Police Security and Protection Group.
“We have to rationalize our people. We have to account for them. With regard po sa iba, lahat po tinanggal natin because we don’t see any threat sa mga ibang tao at ang sinasabi ko nga, kung meron pong reason, ibibigay po natin,” the PNP Chief was quoted as saying before the committee.
As for the Vice President, Marbil said – “Wala po siyang threat. Wala po kaming nakita. She is being loved by our people,” he continued..
When asked by former PNP Chief and now Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa if there were no threats against Duterte despite her strong stand against the CPP-NPA, Marbil explained that Duterte’s security was managed by the Presidential Security Command (PSC).
“The security of the President and the Vice President lies on the PSC. And we will not stop po if General [Jesus Nelson] Morales from the Presidential Security Command asks our help to ask for more personnel, then we will give po. And the one who is making a threat assessment is not [us] anymore, it’s Presidential Security Command.” (ANGEL F. JOSE)
