Honor guards during Cory burial now undergoing training

By Alexis Romero, Cecille Suerte Felipe

The Philippine Star, Thursday, June 17, 2010

Four honor guards who accompanied the casket
of former President Corazon Aquino during her
funeral procession last August will not be
given special treatment once they are designated
as security escorts of president-elect Benigno
Aquino III. Incoming Presidential Security Group
(PSG) commander Col. Ramon Mateo Dizon told The
STAR the honor guards will undergo the usual
training.

“The PSG is a professional unit,” he said.

“We work as a team and no one is above the others.
They (honor guards) have to undergo the usual
processes. It is hard to treat people differently.”

Just like any other member of the PSG, Dizon said
he expects the honor guards to do their best in
securing the incoming president.

“It would be an honor to be a protector of the
President. You don’t say no to the President,”
Dizon said.

Army Private First Class Antonio Cadiente, Airman
Second Class Gener Laguindan, Navy Petty Officer 3
Edgardo Rodriguez and Police Officer 2 Danilo Malab
Jr. are being eyed as close-in security of the
incoming president. Dizon said the transfer papers
of the three military personnel are now being
processed. “We have requested their transfer from
J1 (deputy chief of staff for personnel),” he said.

“Hopefully, their transfer orders would be approved
before July 1.” Dizon said the transfer papers of
other military personnel who secured Aquino’s funeral
last year are also being processed.

Seaman First Class Arturo Roadilla, Jr. Airman First
Class Sherwin del Rosario, and Army Private First
Class Rico Seno escorted Mrs. Aquino’s remains from
the funeral home to the Manila cathedral in Intramuros.
Dizon said the honor guards will undergo the usual
45-day training on securing prominent persons.

Information from the Armed Forces Public Affairs
Office showed that such training include food tasting,
marksmanship, bomb disposal, crowd control, and media
relations.

The honor guards were lauded for their dedication to
duty after they stood for more than eight hours during
the long funeral parade of Aquino, who died of colon
cancer on Aug. 1 last year. The late president’s casket
was brought in a procession from the Manila Cathedral
in Intramuros, Manila to the Manila Memorial Park in
Parañaque.