Presidential Security Command
The Presidential Security Command is the Philippine government unit responsible for close protection, escort, security, and ceremonial support for the president and other designated high-level officials and guests.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Presidential Security Command (PSC) is the Philippine government’s principal close-protection and presidential security organization. It is headquartered at Malacañang Palace, the official residence and principal workplace of the president, and is responsible for protecting the president, the president’s immediate family, the president-elect and family, former presidents, visiting heads of state, diplomats, selected cabinet officials and other designated guests. Its personnel provide close-in protection and escort services during official engagements, domestic travel and overseas visits, while also securing presidential residences, offices, venues and transport assets. The organization is a military-led protective service rather than a commercial brand. Its personnel are drawn primarily from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Coast Guard, with civilian employees supporting administrative, technical, medical and other functions. Members generally retain the ranks and insignia of their parent services. The command combines protective, intelligence, surveillance, public-safety, crowd-control, ceremonial and logistical responsibilities. It also performs honor-guard and state-protocol duties and may support other government agencies in authorized operations involving public order, organized crime and corruption. The command’s institutional lineage reaches back to the Cuerpo de la Guardia Presidencial, a guard unit organized in 1898 for President Emilio Aguinaldo. Presidential protection later passed through several formations, including the 1st Cavalry Regiment, the Malacañang Guard, the Presidential Guard and wartime presidential guard units. In 1950, President Elpidio Quirino placed the Presidential Guards Battalion under the Philippine Constabulary and a separate protective and secret-service structure developed around the presidency and Malacañang. A unified Presidential Security Command was formally created in 1971 under General Order No. 212 of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. After Corazon Aquino assumed the presidency in 1986, the former command was deactivated and replaced by a smaller Presidential Security Group (PSG). General Order No. 60 of the General Headquarters of the reorganized Armed Forces of the Philippines formalized that change. The PSG retained a mixed composition of civilian agents and personnel seconded from the armed forces and police. In January 2024, the Department of National Defense disclosed that the organization had again been elevated from a group to a command and was officially using the name Presidential Security Command, restoring the designation used before 1986. The PSC’s internal structure includes headquarters and support functions, presidential escorts, a guard battalion, a security battalion, a special reaction unit, canine capabilities, intelligence personnel, medical and dental services, training, a band and police protection elements. The command also uses encrypted-capable radio communications and a varied transport fleet that includes motorcycles, armored sedans, mid-sized vehicles and armored personnel carriers. Operational details concerning presidential protection arrangements are classified. In public-facing terms, the organization presents itself through the PSG Troopers website, launched in 2017 as a public-relations and information channel.
History
The historical roots of Philippine presidential protection extend to June 23, 1898, when the Cuerpo de la Guardia Presidencial was organized for Emilio Aguinaldo. The early formation included cavalry, artillery and infantry elements and protected Aguinaldo and his family. Its members reportedly wore rayadillo-style uniforms with straw hats, combining military function with a recognizable presidential guard appearance. During the Commonwealth period, presidential security responsibilities were assigned to army formations. In 1936, the 1st Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division was tasked with protecting President Manuel Quezon, his family and the palace complex. It was replaced in 1938 by the Malacañang Guard, a company-sized formation. The unit was transferred to the Philippine Constabulary on July 14, 1938, and renamed the Presidential Guard on August 2, 1939. The Second World War disrupted the organization. The Presidential Guard was combined with the Philippine Constabulary and Manila ROTC elements into the Second Regular Division, which fought in Bataan. During the Japanese occupation, Japanese forces initially assumed palace guard responsibilities, but President José P. Laurel insisted on an all-Filipino guard battalion. Presidential guards remained at their posts during the 1945 Battle of Manila. After the war, the unit was replaced by the Armed Forces of the Philippines Presidential Guards Battalion under President Sergio Osmeña and continued into the early period of Manuel Roxas’s presidency. The modern institutional lineage is generally traced to 1950, when President Elpidio Quirino placed the Presidential Guards Battalion under Philippine Constabulary control. A separate protective and secret-service organization also developed for the presidency, the First Family and Malacañang Palace. It passed through several names, including the Secret Service of Malacañang Palace, Presidential Security Force, Presidential Security Unit and Presidential Security Agency. On October 22, 1971, General Order No. 212 of the Armed Forces of the Philippines formally created the Presidential Security Command as a unified command. Following the 1986 change of government, President Corazon Aquino ordered the former command disbanded and replaced by a smaller Presidential Security Group. General Order No. 60 of the reorganized Armed Forces of the Philippines deactivated the PSC and activated the PSG as a support unit of the new headquarters. The PSG retained a hybrid staffing model, combining civilian agents with military and police personnel assigned from their parent services. The group continued to protect presidents, families, official residences, travel movements and state events. Its public role also included ceremonial duties, support for crowd control and assistance to other government bodies when authorized. The organization launched the PSG Troopers website on February 10, 2017, to improve public communication, although operational details remained restricted for security reasons. In January 2024, the Department of National Defense confirmed that the PSG had been expanded from a group into a command and was again officially known as the Presidential Security Command. The restoration brought back the designation used during the Ferdinand Marcos era. Later in 2024, the separate Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group was reported to have been integrated into the reorganized command, while police personnel formerly assigned to that group were transferred to the National Capital Region Police Office. The PSC therefore represents both a historic presidential guard tradition and a modern multi-agency protective organization operating under the Philippine state security system.
- 2024
Presidential Security Group elevated to command
[1]The Department of National Defense disclosed the restoration of the Presidential Security Command designation.
- 2017
PSG Troopers website launched
[1]The organization launched a public-facing website to support public relations and information efforts.
- 1986
Presidential Security Group replaces the command
[1]Following Corazon Aquino’s accession, the former PSC was deactivated and replaced by a smaller Presidential Security Group under General Order No. 60.
- 1971
Presidential Security Command formally created
[1]General Order No. 212 of the Armed Forces of the Philippines established the Presidential Security Command as a unified command.
- 1950
Modern institutional lineage begins
[1]President Elpidio Quirino transferred the Presidential Guards Battalion to Philippine Constabulary control, while a separate palace and presidential protection service developed.
- 1939
Unit renamed Presidential Guard
[1]The Malacañang Guard was renamed the Presidential Guard on August 2.
- 1938
Malacañang Guard organized
[1]The Malacañang Guard replaced the earlier cavalry assignment and was subsequently transferred to the Philippine Constabulary.
- 1936
Army cavalry regiment assigned presidential protection
[1]The 1st Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division was assigned to protect President Manuel Quezon, his family and the palace complex.
- 1898
Cuerpo de la Guardia Presidencial established
[1]A presidential guard formation was raised for President Emilio Aguinaldo and his family.
Products and positioning
A specialized Philippine state protective service combining military, police and civilian personnel to provide close protection, presidential security, escort, ceremonial and public-safety support.
Protective service
Close protection
The PSC provides close-in security for the Philippine president, immediate family, president-elect, former presidents and other persons designated for protection. The service includes protective positioning, movement security, advance coordination and escort during official and private movements where protection is authorized.
Escort service
Presidential escort
Presidential escort personnel accompany the president and immediate family during domestic and international travel, official engagements and movements between secured locations. The unit works alongside other military, police and host-country security organizations when required.
Security service
Facility and venue security
The command secures presidential residences, offices, engagement venues, transport assets and facilities associated with the offices of the president and vice president. Its responsibilities include access control, surveillance, monitoring and protection of designated sites.
State protocol
Ceremonial and protocol services
The PSC performs honor-guard, ceremonial and other state-protocol functions. These duties support presidential events, visits by heads of state and formal activities at Malacañang and other government venues.
Security support
Specialized security support
Specialized capabilities associated with the organization include a special reaction unit, canine unit, intelligence company, communications, medical and dental support, training facilities and public-order assistance. The command may also support other government agencies under presidential or otherwise authorized direction.
Marketing campaigns
- 2017PSG Troopers public-relations website
Philippines
The organization introduced the PSG Troopers website as a public-information and public-relations initiative intended to improve communication about the unit while excluding classified operational details.
Outcome. The website became the organization’s identified public-facing online channel.
Brand decisions
2024
Elevation of the Presidential Security Group to command statusStrategyBackground
The Department of National Defense disclosed that the organization had expanded beyond its former group designation.
Action taken
The PSG was officially restored to the name Presidential Security Command.
Aftermath
The organization resumed the designation used before 1986, and the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group was subsequently reported as integrated into the reorganized command.
2024
Integration of vice-presidential protection personnelM&ABackground
The Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group had been activated in 2022 to protect Vice President Sara Duterte.
Action taken
The VPSPG was reported to have been integrated into the reorganized PSC, while 75 police personnel assigned to it were transferred to the National Capital Region Police Office.
Aftermath
The reorganization brought vice-presidential protection personnel into the command’s broader structure, although the precise operational arrangement was not fully detailed in the reference material.
1986
Replacement of the Presidential Security Command by a smaller groupStrategyBackground
Following the change of government in 1986, President Corazon Aquino sought to replace the existing presidential security command with a leaner organization.
Action taken
The PSC was deactivated and the Presidential Security Group was activated under General Order No. 60.
Aftermath
The PSG continued presidential protection with a mixed staff of civilian agents and personnel seconded from the armed forces and police.
1971
Creation of a unified Presidential Security CommandStrategyBackground
The Philippine presidential protection system had developed through several guard, constabulary and palace-security formations.
Action taken
General Order No. 212 established the Presidential Security Command as a unified Armed Forces of the Philippines command.
Aftermath
The unified command became the institutional predecessor of the later Presidential Security Group and the current PSC.
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