Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro Jr. said Vice President Sara Duterte is free to remove the security personnel assigned to her if she no longer has trust and confidence in them.
Teodoro reiterated that Duterte may request the withdrawal or replacement of her security personnel if she no longer trusts them.
However, Teodoro clarified that the soldiers assigned to the vice president are mission-trained and are not taking the matter personally.
As of now, Teodoro said the Department of National Defense has not received any request from Duterte to replace or remove the security personnel assigned to her.
Teodoro also said he does not personally choose the personnel assigned to his own security detail, saying he trusts the soldiers of the Philippines.
Duterte previously said in an interview that, aside from no longer trusting the police and the courts, she also no longer had confidence in her security personnel.
She questioned who selected her security detail, saying the administration itself had chosen them.
Teodoro’s statement clarifies that Duterte has the option to seek the removal or replacement of her security personnel, although no such request has been received by the defense department so far.
