PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) Chief Police General Rommel Marbil strongly denied that political pressure was behind the reinstatement of Vice President Sara Duterte’s security aides.
“There is no political pressure. What we are doing is to really rationalize the deployment of our PNP,” Marbil said during a Senate hearing.
The PNP Chief said that it was not only Duterte’s security detail that was reinstated, but also others, including “classmates who are generals.”
Marbil explained that they want to professionalize the PNP Police Security and Protection Group, proving that there is a ‘perceived threat’ before their deployment, and increasing their personnel on the ground.
“We have to rationalize our people. We have to account for them. With regards to others, we removed all of them because we don’t see any threat to other people, and as I mentioned, if there is a reason, we will provide it,” said the PNP Chief in his testimony to the Senate. “There is no threat. We have not seen any. She is being loved by our people,” the PNP chief added. When former PNP Chief and now Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa asked if there was no threat against Duterte despite her strong stance against the CPP-NPA, Marbil explained that Duterte’s security is managed by the Presidential Security Command (PSC).
