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Vice President Sara Duterte is planning to hire private security personnel if the Armed Forces of the Philippine (AFP) pulls out her security detail.

In an interview with reporters on Wednesday, Duterte said that he sent a letter to AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. that she will not accept replacement of her security details in case they will be pulled out.

"There is no update yet on the pullout and replacement. We are still waiting when the AFP will do that. If they pull out (the security detail), they should not be replaced... If they will pull out the entire (security detail), I already said that I will seek security arrangements outside of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. We are exploring private security services," she said.

"They are professional security services so they are not considered a private army. And we do not know if these individuals are allowed to bring guns so that makes them less of an army man. I don't know the professional security services but that is one option that we are preparing for in case there is a pullout of the entire security details from the AFP," she added.

Duterte noted that she does not feel secure, noting that it is difficult to entrust her life to people she doesn't know.

"No, I do not feel secure," she said.

"They (AFP) said they will replace it. It's hard because security is fundamentally a trust and confidence position so it's difficult to entrust your life to somebody you really do not know or somebody who you do not trust as well," she added.

Brawner ordered the replacement of the members of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG) after the AFP received a subpoena from the PNP that called for members of the VPSPG to be investigated due to the commotion at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) in Quezon City last November 23.

The AFP said that it is also looking at possible administrative charges against the commander of the security and protection group of Duterte after he allegedly pushed a Philippine National Police (PNP) doctor-in-charge during the “forced transfer” of the Office of the Vice President chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez from the House of Representatives to a private hospital last month. Robina Asido/DMS