VP security to be replaced with new personnel

The government is replacing the head and members of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG) with a new contingent from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police (PNP), AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. announced yesterday.

- By MICHAEL PUNONGBAYAN

In a speech during a leadership summit at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Brawner said they received a subpoena from the PNP that called for members of the VPSPG to be investigated due to the commotion at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) in Quezon City over the weekend.

Vice President Sara Duterte, who claims there are threats to her life, said she would refuse the new security contingent and would instead rely on her own team, which is being put together by friends.

Brawner clarified that he is not taking over the VPSPG but is replacing personnel including its commander, Col. Raymund Dante Lachica, because of ongoing police and legislative investigations.

“There were rumors that the security for the Vice President will be pulled out by the AFP. That is not true. So, the story here is that we received a subpoena from the PNP calling the members of the VPSPG for investigation,” he said.

“There is an investigation. So we followed the subpoena, and what we will do is we are just going to temporarily replace them with a contingent from the PNP and from the AFP,” he explained.