Presidential Security Command

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Security group

title: "Presidential Security Command" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["department-of-national-defense-(philippines)", "government-agencies-under-the-office-of-the-president-of-the-philippines", "protective-security-units", "malacañang-palace", "guards-of-honour", "government-agencies-established-in-1897"] description: "Security group" topic_path: "geography/philippines" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidential_Security_Command" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Security group ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox military unit"]

Field	Value
unit_name	Presidential Security Command
image	PSC insignia.jpg
image_size	200px
caption	PSC seal
dates	June 23, 1898–present
country	Philippines Philippines
branch	Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and Police
role	*Close protection and escort towards the President, Vice President and VVIP
size	1 Brigade/Regiment, 3 Battalions. Total is 4000+ soldiers, police, coast guard and civilian personnel
command_structure	Armed Forces of the Philippines
current_commander	Commodore Andro Val Abayon, PN
garrison	Malacañang Park, Malacañang Palace, Manila
nickname	PSC, The President's Guards, Presidential Guards, Filipino Secret Service, Men in Barong, PSG Troopers
motto	Integrity, Service, Excellence
mascot	Eagle
notable_commanders	* MAJ Geronimo Gatmaitan, PA
anniversaries	June 23
decorations	Presidential Streamer Award, Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation Badge
identification_symbol_label	Unit Patch
identification_symbol	PSG Badge
website
::

Honor guard duties | size = 1 Brigade/Regiment, 3 Battalions. Total is 4000+ soldiers, police, coast guard and civilian personnel | command_structure = Armed Forces of the Philippines | current_commander = Commodore Andro Val Abayon, PN | garrison = Malacañang Park, Malacañang Palace, Manila | ceremonial_chief = | colonel_of_the_regiment = | nickname = PSC, The President's Guards, Presidential Guards, Filipino Secret Service, Men in Barong, PSG Troopers | patron = | motto = Integrity, Service, Excellence | colors = | march = | mascot = Eagle | battles = | notable_commanders = * MAJ Geronimo Gatmaitan, PA
LTGEN Jose Calimlim, AFP
BGEN Delfin Bangit, AFP
BGEN Rodolfo Diaz, AFP
COL Hermogenes Esperon Jr., PA
BGEN Glen Rabonza, AFP
COL Voltaire T. Gazmin, PA
BGEN Ramon Mateo Dizon, PA
BGEN Lope C. Dagoy, PA | anniversaries = June 23 | decorations = Presidential Streamer Award, Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation Badge | battle_honours = | identification_symbol_label = Unit Patch | identification_symbol = PSG Badge | website = ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/The_President_of_India_Dr._A.P.J._Abdul_Kalam_accompanied_by_the_President_of_Philippines_Ms._Arroyo_inspecting_a_Guard_of_Honour_at_the_Malacanang_Place_during_the_Ceremonial_arrival_in_Philippines,_on_4_February_2006.jpg" caption="Philippine president [[Gloria Macapagal Arroyo]] with Indian president [[A. P. J. Abdul Kalam]] inspecting the Malacañang Honor Guards during 2006"] ::

The Presidential Security Command (PSC), known from 1986 to 2024 as the Presidential Security Group (PSG), is a Philippine close protection agency. It is the primary agency concerned with providing close-in security and escort to the President of the Philippines, their immediate families, former presidents of the Philippines as well as visiting heads of state.

The PSC is stationed at Malacañang Palace, the official residence of the president. Members of the PSC also accompany the president on both domestic and overseas trips.

History

On June 23, 1898, a guards unit called as the Cuerpo de la Guardia Presidencial (Presidential Guard Corps) was raised at the time to protect the first official president, Emilio Aguinaldo. Composed of a presidential cavalry squadron and artillery batteries, reinforced with multiple guards infantry battalions all under the command of Major Geronimo Gatmaitan, which provided the protection of President Aguinaldo and his family. Like today's PSC, they wore rayadillo uniforms, but with straw hats.

In 1936, the 1st Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division, Philippine Army, raised the same year, was tasked with defending President Manuel Quezon, his family, and the palace complex. On May 22, 1938, they were joined by the Malacañang Guard, made up of a company organized into two to three platoons with a little over a hundred members, to reinforce the President's security. In February 1939, the Malacañang Guard was transferred to the Philippine Constabulary.

During the Second World War, the Presidential Guards were combined with the Philippine Constabulary and Manila ROTC units to form the new Second Regular Division which fought in Bataan. After the inauguration of the Second Philippine Republic, units of the occupying Imperial Japanese Army initially took over guard duties at the palace, only to be replaced by an all-Filipino guard battalion at the insistence of President José P. Laurel. During the Battle of Manila in 1945, Presidential Guardsmen remained at their posts in Malacañang. At war's end, it was in turn replaced by the AFP Presidential Guards Battalion under the orders of President Sergio Osmeña and would remain until the time of his successor, Manuel Roxas.

The PSG of today traces its origins to 1950 when President Elpidio Quirino transferred the Presidential Guards Battalion under the control of the Philippine Constabulary (PC) in 1950. At the same time, a separate presidential security unit was founded as the secret service and protective unit of the state presidency, the First Family, and Malacañang Palace, under the control of the Constabulary (first the Secret Service of Malacañang Palace then later renamed into the Presidential Security Force, the Presidential Security Unit, and then the Presidential Security Agency). On October 22, 1971, under the Presidency of Ferdinand Marcos, General Order No. 212 GHQ, AFP was issued, creating the Presidential Security Command (PSC) as a unified command of the AFP. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Presidential_Security_Group_(PSG).svg" caption="Emblem of the former '''Presidential Security Group (PSG)''' used between 2017 and 2024"] ::

When President Corazon Aquino was sworn in as president, she gave the order to disband the PSC and replace with "a leaner" Presidential Security Group (PSG), with then-Army Colonel (and future Secretary of National Defense) Voltaire Gazmin as its chief. This was formalized by General Order No. 60, GHQ-New Armed Forces of the Philippines (NAFP), which deactivated the PSC and activated the PSG as one of the support units of the NAFP. The PSG, then as in the present, has always included both civilian agents and seconded servicemen from the Armed Forces.

The PSG launched the PSG Troopers website on February 10, 2017, as part of an effort to improve public relations. Information concerning the president's security arrangements are considered as classified.

Four PSG officers were wounded in an encounter with New People's Army guerillas in Arakan, Cotabato after they were spotted running a fake vehicle checkpoint.

On September 26, 2017, a PSG officer was found dead inside the Malacañang complex with a gunshot wound to the chest.

In January 2024, the Department of National Defense officially disclosed that the Presidential Security Group (PSG) was expanded from a group to a command, now officially known again as the Presidential Security Command (PSC), restoring the setup of the organization during the time of President Ferdinand Marcos, late father and namesake of the current President, Bongbong Marcos. The term PSC was earlier utilized on January 19 when the agency's Commander, MGen. Nelson Morales, issued a statement reacting to criticisms on Marcos’ use of the presidential helicopter to travel to the Philippine Arena in Bulacan to watch the Coldplay concert.

In July 2024, the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG), a separate unit activated in 2022 that was responsible for the security of Vice President Sara Duterte, was revealed to have been integrated into the reorganized Command after the elevation of the 75 personnel of the Police Security and Protection Group (PSPG) assigned to the VPSPG were transferred to the National Capital Region Police Office.

Role

The role of the PSC is tasked with:

Providing security to:
- The president and their immediate family.
- The president-elect and their immediate family.
- Visiting heads of states or diplomats and Cabinet members and their families travelling with them and other guests.
- Visitors of the Presidential Museum and Library.
Providing escort security for them at all times.
Securing the president residences, offices, and places of engagements.
Surveillance and monitoring activities.
Performing state protocol duties including honor guard duties.
Public Order, Public Safety, & Crowd Control.

The Presidential Security Command also have other functions, such as providing support to other government agencies. They assist the AFP and PNP in its anti-organized-crime and corruption undertakings as well as maintaining public order and safety, usually authorized by the Office of the President. They also conduct community service efforts in local communities, and maintain and secure all facilities and transportation assets used by the offices of the president and vice president in doing its regular and non-regular functions. The role of securing the Vice President and it’s immediate family is under the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG).

Organization

The following are organized under the PSC (formerly the PSG) as of 2023:

Key personnel

Commander
Chief of Staff
Special Reaction Unit Commander
Commanding Officers

Headquarters and Headquarters Service Battalion
Security Battalion
Presidential Escorts Battalion
Presidential Guards Battalion

Units

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/PSG_agent_in_barong_tagalog.JPG" caption="A PSC agent"] ::

Headquarters & Headquarters Service Battalion
Presidential Escorts - the actual personnel accompanying the President and his/her immediate family
Guard Battalion
Security Battalion
Special Reaction Unit
- K9 Unit
PSG Station Hospital
PSG Dental Dispensary
Presidential Intelligence Company
PSG Training School
PSG Band
Philippine National Police-Police Security and Protection Group (PNP-PSPG) Presidential Protection Division

Recruitment

Agents are usually personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police and Philippine Coast Guard. However, there are a few civilian personnel acting as support units.

Military and police personnel serving in the PSC retain the ranks and insignia of their parent service which are worn in almost all orders of dress.

Equipment

The PSC utilizes Motorola trunked two-way radios with encryption capability.

Vehicles

Notes

References

"Speech of President Corazon Aquino during the PSG Anniversary".
https://lawphil.net/executive/proc/proc1998/proc_1244_1998.html
(n.d.). "Presidential Security Group - History".
"Administrative Order No. 128, s. 1950". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines.
(2011). "DND RLIP (TIS) - DBM Organization, Position Classification and Compensation Bureau".
(March 10, 2015). "President Aquino leads Presidential Security Group's 29th anniversary celebration".
Ranada, Pia. (February 10, 2017). "Presidential Security Group launches website".
(July 19, 2017). "PSG encounters NPA at Arakan North Cotabato". PSG Troopers.
Corrales, Nestor. (September 26, 2017). "PSG officer found dead in Malacañang complex".
Romero, Alexis. (January 23, 2024). "President's security upgraded from group to command".
Casucian, Jiselle. (January 20, 2024). "PSG: Marcos rode presidential chopper to Coldplay concert for his safety".
Regalado, Edith. "Sara stripped of 75 security personnel".
(January 7, 2011). ""PSG" (Documentary by Sandra Aguinaldo)". GMA News.
"FEATURE | Former PH presidents given 8 security personnel". Bicol Standard | Bicol News | Bicol Newspaper.
(2010). "NGA". www.coa.gov.ph.
(July 5, 2018). "121 Years of Selfless Service and Dedication to Duty". PSG Troopers.
"Develop Philippine arms industry, group urges".
"Philippine Daily Inquirer - Google News Archive Search".
PSC is a joint [[Armed Forces of the Philippines. AFP]]-[[Philippine National Police. PNP]]-[[Philippine Coast Guard. PCG]]-[[Bureau of Fire Protection. BFP]] service unit.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::