The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) revealed Tuesday, Dec. 3, that there is no confirmed security threat on the life of Vice President Sara Duterte.
AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla, however, clarified that the validation remains ongoing as it is the mandate of the military to protect the second highest official of the land.
“As of this time, wala pa po kaming (we have no confirmation yet) on that but I said any statements that are given, we look into that,” Padilla said.
“We have specialized units to verify these things so moving [forward], we'll be performing our mandate accordingly of protecting her with all of our troops and assets in terms of providing security for the Vice President,” the military spokesperson added.
Earlier, the Vice President accused the government of “ignoring” the supposed threats on her life.
“I already complained about it before, if you can remember, in the media, and they dismissed it. Everything is well-documented,” Duterte said on the sidelines of the House inquiry last week.
Duterte had claimed she already talked to somebody to kill President Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez if such plan succeeds.
She got criticized by the administration because of this, leading the Vice President to retract her remarks. She clarified that it was after all a “plan without flesh”.
Still, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is summoning Duterte to explain her “kill” remarks.
For the AFP, the military said it will cooperate with any ongoing investigation to determine the veracity of Duterte’s threats against the Commander-in-Chief.
“There's an ongoing investigation coming from the different [agencies]. The Armed Forces of the Philippines will be cooperating and would like to wait out for any development from that part,” said AFP public affairs office chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad.
Security detail
Meanwhile, the AFP has yet to complete the replacement of the security detail assigned to Duterte.
“As of this moment, it's under process. We’re looking at those who will be involved and how many will be the numbers. So as of this time, the papers are still in process,” Padilla said.
The new members of the VPSPG will still be “highly professional and trained” military and police personnel to ensure the safety of Duterte, according to Padilla.
Duterte, however, said she already has trust issues as she expressed doubts on accepting the new security detail that will be provided by the AFP and Philippine National Police (PNP).
The AFP, however, insisted that it will continue to secure Duterte as it is part of their sworn duty.
“We'd like to emphasize that the AFP is a professional organization. We will be performing our mandate accordingly. It is our mandate to protect the President as well as the Vice President and we will perform that accordingly,” Padilla said.
AFP Chief, General Romeo Brawner Jr. had ordered a major shake-up in the members of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG) providing security to Duterte.
This, as the PNP issued a subpoena to military personnel under the VPSPG who were accused of assisting in the “forced transfer” of Duterte’s chief of staff, lawyer Zuleika Lopez, from the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) to St. Luke's Medical Center using a private ambulance.
To recall, Lopez was cited for contempt by the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability amid an investigation into the alleged misuse of confidential and intelligence funds by the Office of the Vice President and Department of Education.
During a confrontation between the PNP and VPSPG, Colonel Raymund Dante Lachica, head of the VPSPG, was caught in a video “physically pushing and assaulting” a "doctor-in-charge" from the PNP Health Service, according to PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo.
Padilla said the AFP will investigate if Lachica and other members of the VPSPG are liable for any administrative charge.
“We'll be looking at the merits if there are any administrative cases to be filed and we will act accordingly. The Armed Forces of the Philippines is not biased, we will cooperate with any investigation,” she said.