Photo courtesy of Philippine News Agency (PNA).
House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos said he would request another security sweep of the Batasang Pambansa complex following separate incidents involving suspected improvised explosive devices near the Department of Justice and the Senate.
Marcos made the statement on Monday after the opening of the second regular session of Congress, hours before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was scheduled to deliver his State of the Nation Address at the House plenary hall.
He said he had only learned of the incidents during an interview and would first verify the reports with authorities.
Marcos expressed confidence that law enforcement agencies would identify those responsible and determine the motive behind the devices.
He also said the timing of the incidents warranted closer scrutiny, noting that the current political climate required heightened vigilance.
Because of the reported explosion near the DOJ and the recovery of another device near the Senate, Marcos said he would ask the Presidential Security Command to conduct an additional inspection of the House complex.
The DOJ said no one was injured when an explosive device went off near its compound in Manila shortly after midnight. Police bomb experts responded, while investigators began examining the source and circumstances of the blast.
Hours later, authorities recovered a suspected IED near the Senate in Pasay City and safely neutralized it. Police said explosive materials were found, while Philippine National Police chief Jose Melencio Nartatez said investigators were looking into the possibility that the two incidents were connected.