Buried among the major headlines of various national dailies is a news item about the so-called “culture of entitlement” regarding police escorts.
The issue arose after Senator Christopher “Bong” Go expressed his opinion that, like Vice President Sara Duterte, his security detail had also recently been recalled. It must be remembered that Vice President Duterte recently criticized the Philippine National Police (PNP) for recalling 75 policemen from her security detail, calling the action a form of harassment because of politics. Despite her outburst, we now know that the vice president still has a security team of more than 300 personnel.
However, the more pressing issue is why elected public officials, at least those below the president and vice president, enjoy the benefit of having so many police and sometimes even military personnel for their protective detail.
Our country faces daily challenges related to peace and order, and we need all the personnel we can muster to protect lives and property. Yet, we have public servants who have dozens, if not hundreds, of policemen and soldiers serving as their glorified security guards.
If the government is to secure the lives and properties of the people it serves, it must ensure that more policemen are patrolling the streets, solving crimes, and apprehending criminals, not serving as escorts for politicians.
Perhaps it is not too much for the public to ask how many policemen and soldiers serve as security details for all public officials, from the senate president down to the mayors of local government units. The public should also inquire about the costs associated with these security escorts for each public official. This information is vital so that when election time comes around, voters will understand the kind of politicians they are electing into office.
Many politicians, especially those occupying both houses of Congress—not all of them, of course—seem to enjoy the perks of being elected and are often tempted to flaunt their power and influence by surrounding themselves with armed security personnel, all at the expense of the public’s money.
It would be a different matter if a certain elected public official has 10 or even 15 security escorts, but most of them are paid from the official’s own funds and are not members of the PNP or the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
Can these politicians afford to hire and subsidize their own security personnel? Of course!
Senators and congressmen earn salaries ranging from P273,000 to P312,000 each month. But that is just their basic monthly pay; what is not generally known to the public and is not published are the other perks and allowances that come with their positions. These often include consultation fees, research expenses, and allowances for trips back to their districts.
There have also been reports that congressmen may receive additional “sources” of funds, such as so-called “appearance fees” for attending plenary sessions and participating in the approval of important legislative bills.
Given the above, the perks and benefits of being an elected public official, such as a congressman or senator, are certainly enormous when compared to the salary of an ordinary government employee. It is almost certain that these public servants have the means to cover the expenses of hiring their own personal security details.
Before considering restrictions on the number of police and military escorts for these politicians, there must first be full disclosure regarding all elected public officials—at least those below the president and vice president—who have been assigned government security details.
Following this, a re-inventory of personnel should be conducted to establish how many policemen and soldiers have been assigned to each public official, based on a threat assessment relevant to their duties.
Once all factors have been considered, the PNP and AFP may issue directives to limit the number of policemen and soldiers assigned per public official, based on requests and existing threat assessments.
As for the remaining security personnel, congressmen and senators who feel that their lives and the lives of their families are in danger should use their own financial resources to hire and secure their own protection. They need to get their own.
