{"id":240387,"date":"2019-12-18T21:52:16","date_gmt":"2019-12-19T02:52:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=240387"},"modified":"2019-12-18T21:52:16","modified_gmt":"2019-12-19T02:52:16","slug":"psg-ready-to-protect-duterte-amid-alleged-npa-hit-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2019\/12\/18\/psg-ready-to-protect-duterte-amid-alleged-npa-hit-list\/","title":{"rendered":"PSG ready to protect Duterte amid alleged NPA hit list"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
FILE: NEW PSG COMMANDER. President Rodrigo R. Duterte pins the rank insignia on newly-promoted Presidential Security Group (PSG) Commander Brigadier General Jose Eriel Niembra during a ceremony at the Malaca\u00f1an Palace on March 6, 2019. (King Rodriguez\/Presidential Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

MANILA<\/strong>\u00a0— Amid reports that a communist group has placed President Rodrigo Duterte on its hit list, the Presidential Security Group (PSG) on Wednesday said its men are ready to protect the Chief Executive from all forms of threat to his life.<\/p>\n

Presidential Security Group (PSG) Commander, Brig. Gen. Jose Eriel Niembra made this remark after National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon said he received information that the President is on the hit list of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe expect that the President is number one on their list. As to preparations and hardening up of security procedures, I think\u00a0amin nalang \u2018yun<\/em>\u00a0(we\u2019ll keep it to ourselves) but rest assured we\u2019re doing something to protect the President,\u201d Niembra\u00a0told reporters in a media interview in\u00a0 Malaca\u00f1ang.<\/p>\n

The CPP, which is set to commemorate its 51st founding anniversary on December 26, marks the occasion with attacks against the police and military carried out by its armed wing, the New People\u2019s Army (NPA).<\/p>\n

Niembra said receiving information about alleged threats was not new, especially because of the President\u2019s tough stance against terrorism, illegal drugs, and other crimes.<\/p>\n

\u201cMeron kaming natanggap na<\/em>\u00a0information\u00a0na ganyan<\/em>. Actually,\u00a0matagal na<\/em>\u00a0(We have received information long ago) that the President is one of the top priority targets not only of NPA but also of drug lords, the syndicate groups,\u201d Niembra said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces should be the number one target every day of the year,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

He said that with or without reported threats, it was the mission of the PSG to \u201csee to it that we have a living President day by day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, we take it seriously\u00a0kasi<\/em>\u00a0(because) it\u2019s not a joking matter because it\u2019s the life of the President and the survival of the country,\u201d Niembra said.<\/p>\n

Both police and military intensified intelligence monitoring and maximize defense posture in anticipation of attacks.<\/p>\n

\u2018Boundaries\u2019<\/p>\n

Niembra has no word whether the President would proceed with his annual Christmas gift-giving activity at their ancestral residence in Barangay Bangkal, Davao City.<\/p>\n

However, he assured that the President \u201cknows how to handle himself” and will heed the security protocol of the PSG.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlam naman niya kung hanggang saan yung<\/em>\u00a0(He knows his) boundary\u00a0nung puwede niya gawin. Minsan sumusobra, minsan sumusunod<\/em>\u00a0(on what he is allowed to do. Sometimes he steps over his boundary, sometimes he follows),\u201d Niembra said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a matter of advising him actually which is critical and which is not,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Duterte is expected to spend Christmas break with his family in his hometown, Davao City after the scheduled first presidential silent drill competition on Friday (Dec. 20), he said.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Niembra said the President will not be allowed to ride his motorbike during the Christmas break in his hometown.<\/p>\n

He said the President will only be given the green light to use his motorbike within the PSG compound in Malaca\u00f1an Palace.<\/p>\n

\u201cKung sa loob lang ng PSG puwede<\/em>\u00a0(He can do so within the PSG compound), but if he goes out, I think we should advise him but in a secured or controlled area,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The President, however, expressed willingness to drive around Metro Manila.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn recent days,\u00a0dito lang po sa loob ng<\/em>\u00a0(he only drives within the compound of) PSG. But he has a plan to go around Metro Manila in a motorcycle. I don\u2019t agree, actually,\u201d Niembra said.<\/p>\n

Earlier, Duterte joked about wanting to receive a new motorbike for Christmas but went on to say his only wish is for the Philippines and the Filipinos.<\/p>\n

Despite figuring in a minor motorbike incident at the PSG compound on October 16, Duterte has repeatedly said he would keep riding motorbikes until his last breath.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MANILA\u00a0— Amid reports that a communist group has placed President Rodrigo Duterte on its hit list, the Presidential Security Group …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":240388,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,95],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-240387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","category-news-ph","mauthors-azer-parrocha","mauthors-philippine-news-agency"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240387","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=240387"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240387\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":240389,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240387\/revisions\/240389"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/240388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=240387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=240387"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=240387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}