Presidential Security Group - Makati City, Philippines

The PSG today is a far cry from the ragtag squad that Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo formed around March 1897, when he was elected President of the revolutionary government.Aguinaldo needed armed escorts because he was wary of the Magdiwang faction of the Katipunan whom his bloc, the Magdalo, had defeated in the election.Aguinaldos bodyguards, called escolta (escorts), were fiercely loyal and stood out in their rayadillo uniforms.Eleven days after Aguinaldo declared independence on June 23, 1898, he established a Department of War, the forerunner of the Department of National Defense. The department set up the El Cuerpo dela Guardia Presidencial (Corps of Presidential Guards), commanded by Major Geronimo Gatmaitan.