'Most secured VP in history': Lawmaker says 31 cops still assigned to Sara Duterte

MANILA, Philippines — A House lawmaker on Tuesday cut through the furor of two senators calling for volunteers to be Vice President Sara Duterte's security detail, emphasizing that Duterte was not stripped of all her security personnel when the Philippine National Police redeployed cops previously assigned to her.

Rep. Joel Chua (Manila, 3rd District) said in a press conference that 31 personnel remain assigned to Duterte’s security detail after 75 PNP personnel were redeployed to the National Capital Region Police Office to beef up the number of cops in Metro Manila.

Chua said that Duterte even began with a 400-strong security detail.

"This makes her the most secured [vice president] in history," he added.

This comes after Duterte released a scathing open letter on Monday addressed to PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil, whom she only addressed as "Rommel."

In her letter, Duterte said the pullout of the 75 PNP personnel was a form of "political harassment" and a "targeted maneuver" as the cops removed from her detail were also long-time personnel who had her "trust and confidence."

Duterte also accused Marbil of lying about reaching out to the Office of the Vice President prior to issuing a relief order. 

For Chua, the reassignment of the 75 police does not have the markings of a political move and may be a way for Duterte to "divert" attention from her recent personal trip to Germany during the onslaught of Typhoon Carina.

"Not everything should be colored with politics. The PNP is doing their job," the lawmaker said, adding that it would have been questionable if all of Duterte's security were "totally removed."

Sen. Imee Marcos on Tuesday called to reinstate the 75 personnel to Duterte's security detail owing to her position as the second highest elected official in the country.

Marcos — who helped bankroll former President Rodrigo Duterte's campaign for the presidency in 2016 — said Duterte is "like her father" and "a staunch defender of law and order, hence topping the CPP-NPA's order of battle."

Marcos also took a swipe at the PNP chief: "At sino naman yang Rommel Marbil? Ni hindi ko nga yan kilala (And who is this Rommel Marbil? I don't know him)."

In