AFP spokesman to head Marcos Jr.’s Presidential Security Group

PRESIDENT-ELECT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. has chosen a military spokesman as the head of the Presidential Security Group (PSG), according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Public Affairs Office.

“AFP spokesperson Colonel Ramon Zagala will be designated acting PSG commander and acting senior military assistant at the same time,” Jorry L. Baclor, chief of AFP’s public affairs office, said by telephone on Sunday. “According to him, it will be effective on June 30.”

“He will perform both designations in acting capacity,” he added.

Mr. Zagala will replace outgoing PSG Commander Randolph G. Cabangbang.

The AFP recently activated a security team for incoming Vice-President and presidential daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio.

The security team, which is not attached to the PSG, was activated after Ms. Carpio requested “that a security unit separate from the [PSG] be created and be assigned” to her and her family.

The Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group, which was activated on June 24, will “ensure the safety and security of the vice-president of the Philippines and her family,” the AFP said in a statement on June 25.

Ms. Carpio in a statement last week said the request was made in anticipation of “future elections” and the possibility of “strained relations” between the president and vice-president.

“This AFP initiative also highlights the importance of having an independent group that will provide all Philippine vice-presidents with the necessary security and protection,” she said.

The activation of the separate security group for the vice-president would resolve the matter of continuity in security for all vice-presidents of the Philippines, Ms. Carpio added.

“It may be expected to solve the challenges if, in future elections, the vice-president and the president face the misfortune of having strained relations.” — KATA