ONLY two members of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV's six-man security detail had been taken away from him, Malacañang said on Saturday, July 14.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. explained that the Philippine National Police (PNP) had recalled Trillanes' two police escorts, since the senator exceeded the number of required security personnel.
“[As] per PNP, two were removed as he already had six when he's only allowed [to have] four [security escorts],” Roque said in a statement.
“Let's allow our PNP to keep our communities safe please,” he added.
Trillanes, one of the fiercest critics of President Rodrigo Duterte, claimed Friday, July 13, that he has been stripped of security escorts in June sans any explanation.
Senior Superintendent Filmore Escobal, director of the PNP's Police Security and Protection Group, said on Friday that Trillanes's police security were removed because the senator already had two escorts from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), two from the Philippine Navy and two others from the Senate Security Bureau.
Trillanes, however, denied that he had six security personnel.
“The security detail from the AFP were also recalled. Their orders were not renewed and expired since end of June. Also, the Senate has not detailed any security personnel for me,” he said.
Trillanes's revelation came following a series of killings of local officials in the country. To recall, the opposition lawmaker has repeatedly alleged that Duterte has ill-gotten wealth and is involved in illicit activities, accusations that the President vehemently denied.
Despite this, Trillanes remained unfazed, saying he could defend himself from any potential harm even without security aides.
In June, the President floated the idea that Trillanes might get killed one day because of the latter's arrogance.
“He (Trillanes) believes that he's the only tough one around because nobody fought him back. But there will come a day that someone will shoot him because he's arrogant,” Duterte said in Bisaya during an event in Cebu on June 7. (Ruth Abbey Gita/SunStar Philippines)