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The Philippine National Police (PNP) has recalled all its 1,600 police escorts assigned to over 700 VIPs, government officials, and other private individuals for accounting and redeployment for the upcoming elections in May.
The order is expected to affect the 15 policemen assigned to Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, four to Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña and two to Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes.
Chief Supt. Lina Sarmiento, chief of the PNP Police Security and Protection Group, said that in line with Commission on Elections (Comelec) Resolution 8714, all deployed security escorts were immediately recalled on Sunday and were brought back to their main units at their respective police headquarters.
Sarmiento said this was the first time all security escorts were ordered recalled for accounting. However, she assured all individuals, especially witnesses and kidnap victims, that the PNP would not abandon them.
Rory Jon Sepulveda, Capitol consultant on information and revenue generation, said they had yet to receive a formal communication on the recall of police security escorts assigned to Governor Garcia.
But he added that the Capitol security consultants were expected to communicate with the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) on the matter.
In Mayor Osmeña?s case his police bodyguards had been pulled out, according to Senior Supt. Patrocinio Comendador Jr., Cebu City police director.
But he added that he would provide one or two policemen to provide security to the area where the mayor was expected to go, if there was such a request.
Mayor Cortes asked the Comelec to allow him to keep his two police bodyguards after they were recalled in compliance with the agency?s Resolution Nov. 8714.
City Administrator Briccio Boholst said the Comelec had yet to act on their request.
Lionel Marco Castillano, Comelec Cebu provincial supervisor, warned that failure to secure the poll agency's approval was considered illegal. Violators face a prison term of one year to six years without probation.
He said Comelec Resolution 8714 was explicit: ?no candidate for public office, including incumbent public officers seeking election to any public office, shall employ, avail himself of or engage the services of security personnel or bodyguards, whether or not such bodyguards are regular members or officers of the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) or other law enforcement agency of the Government.?
The implementation of Comelec Resolution 8714 started on Sunday and will end on June 9.
Request forms to ?employ, avail, or engage security personnel and bodyguard? are available at Comelec offices. These should be submitted to the secretariat of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas.
A payment of P5,000, payable to Comelec under Savings Account Number 0012-1042-86, shall be deposited through Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) before filing of the request. A bank receipt would be submitted to the PNP secretariat.
A committee composed of the Comelec, police regional director and commander of the Armed Forces Central Command will submit a recommendation to the Comelec central office.
The committee may issue temporary permits, which are good for 30 days, pending decision from the Comelec.
The Comelec, he said, may grant additional bodyguards if requested. They may even ask for specific law enforcers whom they want to be their bodyguards.
?We want to have bodyguards whom we can have our trust and confidence,? Castillano said.
Capitol consultant Sepulveda said they would pass an application for the allowable number of security detail.
?We will apply for the approval of the allowable maximum number of security escorts that are needed especially during her (Garcia's) out of office travels,? he said.
Three teams consisting of five police personnel each secure the governor.
Each team consist of four policemen and one policewoman dressed in white barong and black slacks. All of them are equipped with communication gadgets.
Sepulveda said the governor's security details are assigned under the provincial Capitol detachment which occupies an office beside the provincial Comelec office inside the capitol compound.
He said that these police escorts accompany the governor only on her official travels.
When Garcia is at the Capitol, her escorts remain at the governor's office lobby.
Garcia said in an earlier interview that she would prefer to move around without any bodyguard since she was uncomfortable having them around.
But Sepulveda said that was not possible. ?We will not compromise the security of the governor,? he said.
Sepulveda said that the governor's security consultants found it necessary for police escorts to accompany the governor especially after she declared an all out war against communist insurgency.
She needed to be protected especially during her visits to the countryside where she would mingle with the crowds, he added.
Sepulveda recalled that a resident of Minglanilla town believed to be mentally ill grabbed Garcia by the arm while she was about to leave the vicinity of the Naga City plaza during the closing program of the Suroy Suroy sa Sugbu southern heritage trail.
?We are being paranoid about it. The basis of our security plan is paranoia. It's better for us to be safe than sorry,? he said.
Sepulveda, however, assured that with the recent order on the recall of security escorts, the Office of the Governor would make the necessary adjustments.
?We are not asking for special accommodation. We will comply with what is required and allowed by law,? he said.
In the case of the 26 policemen assigned to escort the VIPs and some private individuals, they have been recalled already starting last Sunday, said Senior Insp. Eppie Malalay, chief of the Regional Police Escort Unit (RPEU) and officer-in-charge (OIC) of Regional Police and Protection Group (PSPG).
The PSPG has 32 personnel ? six are assigned in the office.
Malalay said he took the photos of the police escorts when they were recalled last Sunday. These photos would be submitted to Camp Crame to prove that they had been recalled.
He clarified that his office had not provided escorts to politicians in Metro Cebu. Bodyguards of local officials are provided by the local city and police command.
/Reporters Doris C. Bongcac, Ador Mayol, Marian Codilla and Dale Israel and Correspondent Chito Aragon with Inquirer
