Duterte security should be tightened

The recent explosion in Marawi which injured some members of the Presidential Security Group acting as an advance party for President Rodrigo Duterte has raised concerns over the security of the president who was determined to visit Lanao del Sur where military troops are operating against the Maute Group. It can be recalled that the MILF-breakaway group has been tagged as responsible for the bombing in a Davao City market last September which killed at least 14 people.

Many are convinced the roadside blast in Marawi City is a serious warning that the President’s movements should be more restricted to eliminate potential security threats. The Presidential Security Group should always be on the alert and must be trained to consider every trip of the President as a “security nightmare.” No one will argue that the President’s trips from Malacañang to Davao City and his frequent visits to other places in the country can pose significant challenges to the men (and women) tasked with his protection.

Presidents are always high value targets, which is why there should be more care on the part of President Duterte when it comes to moving around, with some insiders saying that announcing his schedules and movements should be discouraged, or at least, not given many days in advance to the general public.

Those tasked to protect and secure a president, prime minister or any other state leader are supposed to be the best among the best, with no room for complacency since, as a VIP security expert noted, even two seconds of carelessness can have disastrous results. As such, they also have to be proactive and must be quick to adjust when sudden changes occur, or when established security protocols are not followed by their principal. Most of all, they have to be ready to get in the line of fire and lay down their lives to protect their principal.

The US Secret Service is supposed to be one of the best when it comes to securing a head of state 24/7. However, the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963 in Dallas, Texas is one of the darkest moments in the history of the US – and in the US Secret Service as well, with the shockwaves reverberating all over the world. To this day, questions arise as to the possibility that JFK might have survived if the men were quicker since the first shot from the sniper that went through his neck did not kill him – but the second shot five seconds later on his skull was fatal.

Many blame the Secret Service man trailing the US president’s car for not jumping forward to protect the body of the president – in contrast with the actions of the other agent who was part of Jacqueline Kennedy’s security detail who jumped on the presidential limousine to keep her from jumping off.

Recent experiences have also shown that even the best security detail can never be too careful, as seen in the September 2014 incident when Omar Gonzalez, an Iraq war veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, breached the security at the White house by jumping over the fence and running inside the East Room before he was stopped by an agent who was off duty at the time. Gonzalez was subsequently indicted for entering a restricted building while armed with a knife and charged for carrying a deadly weapon and possessing ammunition.

Security experts say the Shin Bet – one of Israel’s intelligence organizations that is also tasked to secure the Israeli Prime Minister and other top leaders – is one of the best in the world. The members basically receive the same elite training as the members of the US Secret Service. There was one time, however, when the Shin Bet suffered a blow, specifically in November 1995 during the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin by a Jewish extremist. Accounts say the members of the Shin Bet were shaken, especially since they did not anticipate the assassination attempt would come from an Israeli Jew, more focused as they were on threats coming from Arab terrorist extremists.

Since that time, however, Shin Bet has become even more efficient and formidable, seen in the way they secure a Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for instance, during a recent visit to New York where he had dinner with a Jewish philanthropist in a restaurant. Among the tactics employed by the Shin Bet is the deployment of (bullet-proofed) agents taller than their principal, the use of casually-dressed people mingling in a crowd, and female agents who reputedly are very good at detecting strange or suspicious behavior that could be potentially threatening.

From our understanding, the government of Israel is offering to train the close-in security detail of President Duterte – and this is something the President and the PSG should seriously consider.

Tessie Sy-Coson is ‘Man of the Year’

Our congratulations to SM Investments Corporation vice chairman Tessie Sy-Coson for being the Management Association of the Philippines’ “Man of the Year” awardee. Over the years, businessmen such as Manny Pangilinan, Tony Tan Caktiong and Jaime Augusto Zobel have been recipients of the prestigious award, but Tessie is only the second lady to receive such honor, the first one having been PEZA director-general Lilia de Lima in 2010. 

Mrs. Coson has been the guiding force in turning SMIC into one of the country’s biggest conglomerates with diverse interests that include real estate, banking, and tourism. It is also the undoubted leader in retail and mall operations – having learned from the example of her father Henry Sy Sr. with whom she is very close.

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