Malacañang said security for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should remain at the highest level following two bomb-related incidents reported hours before his fifth State of the Nation Address.
Palace press officer Claire Castro said the president’s protection must not depend on whether a specific threat or explosion had occurred.
She stressed that security personnel were expected to maintain maximum readiness at all times while safeguarding the chief executive.
Castro made the statement at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City, where Marcos was scheduled to deliver his annual address before a joint session of Congress.
She said she had not discussed additional measures with the president and could not speak for the Philippine National Police on possible adjustments to its security plan.
Still, Castro said police units should exercise greater vigilance and reinforce existing measures in light of the incidents.
An improvised explosive device went off near the Department of Justice compound in Manila shortly after midnight, while another suspected device was later recovered near the Senate in Pasay City. No casualties were reported in the first incident.
PNP chief Jose Melencio Nartatez said investigators were examining whether the two cases were connected as authorities tightened security around key government sites.