The Police Regional Office (PRO) 11’s PSPTF composed of different units of the Philippine National Police (PNP) was also created to control and screen personnel who are detailed to an authorized person as provided under President Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive Order (EO) Number 98.
EO 98 issued last November 2019 prohibits any member of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) from providing security detail to any civilian office and official, other than those enumerated in section 2 of said EO, without authority from the Secretary of National Defense.
Section 2 of said order, states that only the President, Vice President, the Department of National Defense (DND), and other government officials as approved by DND Secretary are entitled for military security details.
Protective security, however, may be provided by the personnel of Philippine National Police (PNP) through the Police Security and Protection Group (PSPG) subject to existing policies, rules, and regulation of the PNP and in accordance with National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) memorandum circulars.
The said task force is also mandated to monitor gun for hire and PAGs which could be used in perpetrating election-related violence and continuous monitoring on the number of security personnel allowed per authorized individual so as to avoid the formation of the private armed groups.
PNP chief General Dionardo Carlos had earlier ordered all police regional directors to review the deployment of policemen as politicians’ bodyguards to determine if these are authorized and according to regulations.
Carlos highlighted that police assigned as bodyguards should be in proper uniform when performing their official duty.
PRO 11 director Brigadier General Filmore Escobal, meanwhile assured of the strict conduct of evaluation, assessment, intelligence gathering, and deployment of personnel following the set guidelines under EO 98.
“The activation of the Police Security and Protection Task Force is PRO 11’s initiative to be in control of its personnel’s deployment which would only be granted to authorized persons,” Escobal said.
Escobal, in an earlier report clarified that aspiring candidates for local and national positions may also be given assistance and or protection depending on threat assessment to be conducted by the Directorate for Intelligence.
Those police and military personnel, including officials who will be found violating EO 98 may be charged with appropriate administrative and criminal offences, while aspiring candidates for elective positions who violate the same may be charged with similar offense that may become one of the basis for possible disqualification cases.
Photos: PRO 11