Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 1) — An audit report on the office of Vice President Sara Duterte showed 433 security escorts served the Office of the Vice President (OVP) on its first year — a 455-percent spike from the number of security personnel hired during the final year of her predecessor, former Vice President Leni Robredo.
The Commission on Audit’s 2022 report included a breakdown of the OVP staff, showing that the office has 433 non-plantilla/detailed personnel under the “Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group” or VPSPG.
The report, however, does not detail if the hundreds of security escorts were hired by the OVP or what their tasks were.
In total, the OVP had 509 personnel under its office for 2022.
Meanwhile, the audit report posted in 2021 — the last year of Robredo in office — showed the OVP had 78 non-plantilla “military detailed personnel.” Similar to the report on Duterte’s office, there were no other details available.
When Duterte took office in 2022, her request to activate a security unit separate from the Presidential Security Group was approved by the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. She said the VPSPG will provide security and protection to all vice presidents.
The OVP has yet to respond to requests for comment.
