Security threat forces Senate into temporary work-from-home setup

MANILA, Philippines – Acting Senate President and Senate President Pro Tempore Win Gatchalian has authorized a work-from-home arrangement for Senate personnel on Wednesday, June 10, and Thursday, June 11, following information on a security threat relayed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

“During the blue ribbon consultative meeting yesterday, NBI Director Melvin Matibag informed the sectors present that there is a potential threat to the Senate building and the Senate premises,” Gatchalian said in a message to reporters on Tuesday, June 9.

In an advisory released on Tuesday, Gatchalian said the “safety and security of all Senate personnel remain a foremost priority as the concerned authorities undertake the appropriate security protocols within the Senate premises.”

Senator Tito Sotto described the reported threat in the Senate as “a clear and present danger.”

Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro, meanwhile, said that the alleged threat to the Senate is being “validated and it has been deferred to the proper authorities.”

Based on the information received by Senator Ping Lacson, which he described as “sketchy and raw,” the armed services’ level of frustration has “reached up to battalion and regional levels.”

The supposed threat comes after a leadership shake-up that ousted Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president and elected Gatchalian as Senate president pro tempore.

The Senate has been embroiled in controversies in recent weeks. On May 11, allies of the Duterte family in the Senate staged a leadership coup that installed Cayetano as Senate president following the surprise appearance of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.

Dela Rosa, a former chief of the Philippine National Police, has been evading an International Criminal Court warrant of arrest over alleged crimes against humanity linked to former president Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war.

The NBI attempted to serve the warrant, but Dela Rosa was then under Senate “protective custody” granted by Cayetano. The Senate was also placed under lockdown that day.

Two days later, on May 13, a shooting incident occurred inside the Senate premises involving the Office of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms and NBI agents who were at the adjacent GSIS building.

Political tensions remain in the upper chamber as the Gatchalian and Cayetano blocs continue to claim control over the chamber. – Rappler.com