Photo courtesy of Senator Win Gatchalian/Facebook.
Acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said Wednesday the reported security threat against the Senate could be connected to 18 former bodyguards of former lawmaker turned fugitive Zaldy Co.
In an interview, Gatchalian said the Senate was treating the information seriously and had directed the Office of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) to coordinate with intelligence agencies for validation.
He said the chamber’s immediate concern was the safety of senators, employees, members of the media, and other personnel working inside the Senate.
The Senate was placed under heightened security on Tuesday, June 9, after Gatchalian received information from the National Bureau of Investigation about a possible threat.
A work-from-home arrangement was also implemented for Senate employees from Wednesday, June 10, until Thursday, June 11, as a precaution.
Gatchalian said NBI Director Melvin Matibag had raised the possibility that the threat involved a group that could disrupt activities in the Senate, possibly with armed elements, and that it might be linked to the 18 alleged former Marines.
Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano earlier questioned the credibility and timing of the reported threat, noting that the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee led by Sen. Pia Cayetano was initially set to hold another hearing on the flood control controversy on June 11.
Senate Sergeant-at-Arms chief Alfred Corpus said his office had coordinated with law enforcement agencies and had begun security sweeps and stricter checks around the chamber, adding that the measures would remain in place until the threat level was lowered.