Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano suggested on Tuesday that recent security concerns within the Senate complex might be a deliberate attempt to distract from the Blue Ribbon Committee’s ongoing investigation into alleged government flood control anomalies.
Cayetano highlighted the suspicious timing of the reported threat, noting that it surfaced just as the legislative inquiry began zeroing in on specific individuals named in recent testimonies.
“This ‘threat’ surfaces precisely as the testimonies made in the latest Blue Ribbon Committee hearing begins to press for answers from the names it has raised,” Cayetano said.
“At a time when billions in flood control funds remain under scrutiny, why does the national conversation keep shifting away from accountability? Why does attention move away from the testimonies already heard by the Blue Ribbon Committee?” he added.
The statement followed an announcement by acting Senate President Win Gatchalian, who confirmed that security protocols within the complex had been tightened.
Gatchalian cited intelligence from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) regarding a potential threat inside the premises.
Acting on this, the Office of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms deployed extra safety measures to protect the 24 senators and nearly 2,000 congressional employees. However, Cayetano openly questioned the credibility and management of the NBI intelligence.
He claimed the information was shared selectively and pointed out the bureau’s past friction involving a shooting incident with the Senate’s own security force.
“The moment a ‘security threat’ is briefed to some and withheld from others, it ceases to be a security matter and becomes a political instrument,” Cayetano said.
“A clearly partisan NBI that was itself a party to violence within these walls cannot credibly appoint itself the guardian of our safety,” he added.
The Senate leader further criticized the NBI for allegedly bypassing standard channels, questioning why the threat was not vetted by established national defense and intelligence agencies.
Despite the security warnings, Cayetano insisted that the chamber’s legislative duties and high-profile probes must proceed without delay, warning against using safety fears to stall accountability.
“We will not permit the safety of this institution to become the instrument for silencing it,” Cayetano said.