Rody orders removal of bulletproof protective glass in GenSan event

President Duterte is hopeful that nobody assassinates him but with the country’s many problems, he admitted that one is tempted to “hang” self.

The President talked about the lifespan of the country’s leader after asking his security staff to remove a bulletproof protective glass in front of his podium during his visit to General Santos City Thursday.

“Don’t shoot us politicians because we are just serving you,” he said in Visayan during the openair agrarian reform event where he distributed lands to farmer beneficiaries.

“Honestly, if you were the President of a nation such as this, you would be tempted to hang yourself because there are so many problems,” he added.

Among the problems mentioned by the President in his speech were the communist insurgency and the illegal drugs trade.

“Our war with the New People’s Army has taken a toll of almost three generations. Fiftythree years. Those who were born then have children now, and their children are having children of their own,” he added.

At the start of the event, the President spoke before the crowd behind a thick bulletproof glass installed by the Presidential Security Group as an extra layer of protection. He said the glass was aimed “to prevent me from being shot from there.”

Duterte, however, asserted that he has nothing wrong to the nation for him to be shot in public.

“Why would you shoot me when I did nothing wrong to you? Just choose anyone from them here. They all came from the military. They are all generals,” he said, referring to some senior government officials seated onstage.

Duterte then asked his security staff to remove the glass in front of his podium, joking that he had a grenade on standby in case of any threat against him.

“Kindly remove this. Otherwise I will not speak. I want you to be blamed if I die. Kindly… I have a grenade here. I will throw it to you,” he said.

The PSG first used the thick protective glass on the President’s podium during a campaign rally in Malabon City last April. The protective equipment was also seen being used in some other presidential engagements held in open areas.

The “highest security protocols” are implemented to ensure the safety and protection of the country’s leader, according to PSG commander Brig. Gen. Eriel Niembra.

In the President’s every engagement, he said the PSG assess the venue and determines the type of security measures needed to be enforced. He said they placed the protective glass on the presidential podium since the activity then was situated in an open area.