Concrete intelligence pointing to a possible incident inside the Senate has been relayed to lawmakers by the National Bureau of Investigation, Senate President Pro Tempore Sherwin Gatchalian disclosed Tuesday, citing this as the basis for a fresh round of security adjustments inside the chamber.
Speaking on dzRH, Gatchalian said the warnings were specific enough to be acted on but could not be aired publicly. “I just cannot disclose it, but there is intelligence information that has been passed to us and to the senators by the NBI that there are threats that something could happen in the Senate.”
He framed the response as a matter of staying coordinated with the agencies feeding the Senate its information. “We also receive information, including from the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation), that there are threats that something could happen in the Senate. That is why we are also coordinating with intelligence agencies, especially the NBI, so that our information and intelligence gathering will continue,” he said.
The new majority has translated those warnings into physical changes at the complex. Vehicles entering the grounds are now being inspected, and perimeter barriers have gone up just outside the Senate gate — an area regularly used as a staging point for protests.
Pressed on whether the tighter posture was tied to a reported scheme to target Malacañang on June 12, Gatchalian would not confirm a link. “I don’t want to disclose it to the public for now, but these are the pieces of information being passed to us — intelligence information given to us so that we can also prepare,” he said.
The senator stressed that nothing of this nature could be brushed aside. “We cannot be complacent. If there is such intelligence information, it should be taken seriously. All threats should be taken seriously. That is why we are also making adjustments. The Sergeant-at-Arms is also issuing and adjusting the security protocols inside as well,” he added.
Part of what is driving the caution is recent memory. On May 13, gunfire broke out between Senate security personnel and NBI agents while the chamber was holding Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa — the subject of an International Criminal Court warrant — in protective custody. Dela Rosa had returned to the Senate on May 11 after a lengthy absence, supplying the decisive vote that handed the Senate presidency to Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano in place of Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, then vanished again within hours of the shooting.
Gatchalian said the priority now is making sure staff and members are not exposed to a repeat. “We also need to adjust our security efforts. Security must really be tightened, and we need to further adjust security protocols because we do not want anything to happen again to our employees and to the senators,” he said.
