Filed Under: Eleksyon 2010, Elections, Police
MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE) The Philippine National Police 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.
Chief Superintendent Lina Sarmiento, chief of the PNP Police Security and Protection Group, said that in line with Commission on Elections 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.
“We cannot abandon them. Those that are securing, we will not abandon them. [The recall] is just one way of forcing them to immediately apply [to the Comelec],” she added.
Under Comelec Resolution 8714, the letter orders issued to security escorts were cancelled leaving them unauthorized to serve as security detail to officials or VIPs.
“There is a need to account or inventory all PSPG personnel considering that without the necessary letter order, the [security escorts] are not anymore authorized to serve as security detail to their respective VIPs and that officially they are now assigned back to their respective PSPG units,” Sarmiento said.
Sarmiento said that applicants, regardless if they are candidates or private individuals, should first seek the approval of the Joint Security Control Center of the Comelec before they could again acquire police escorts.
The application for police escorts and other security personnel began on January 10. Each applicant must pay a filing fee of P5,000 addressed to the Comelec when applying for a security escort.
At the same time, Sarmiento said she has met with representatives from the House of Representatives, Senate, and other diplomatic and consular services to discuss the existing Comelec resolution as well as the process in applying for security escorts.
Subject to Comelec approval, candidates for the presidential and vice presidential positions are allowed a maximum of 20 security escorts. Meanwhile, senatorial candidates are allowed a maximum of 12 security escorts. Candidates for the congressional level down as well as other private individuals are allowed a maximum of four.
Application for security escorts will also be subjected to the approval of the Comelec.
Under the same Comelec resolution, only legitimate security escorts in proper uniform are allowed to carry firearms.
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