Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano on Tuesday raised concerns over reports that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) had informed only select senators of an alleged threat against the Senate, while also questioning why the warning surfaced at this particular time.

The issue arose after Senator Sherwin Gatchalian disclosed that some senators had been briefed by the NBI about a supposed threat to the institution, prompting heightened security measures within the Senate.

Cayetano said any credible threat against the Senate should have been relayed to all senators and coordinated through the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms, which is responsible for the institution’s security.

“If the threat is credible, then every Senator, every member of the Secretariat, and every individual who works within these walls deserves to be informed and protected,” Cayetano said in a statement issued June 9.

“Security is not the concern of one bloc. It is the concern of the entire Senate,” he added.

He questioned why the information was reportedly disclosed only to certain senators and not to the entire chamber.

“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,” he said.

Cayetano also raised concerns about the source of the reported intelligence.

“It did not come from the Senate’s own Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms, the office constitutionally charged with protecting this institution. It came from the NBI,” he said.

He said the reported intelligence should first be verified before being accepted as fact and called for a clearer accounting of how the information was obtained and communicated.

Questioning the timing of the disclosure, Cayetano noted that it emerged as the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee continues its investigation into alleged irregularities in flood control projects.

“The timing demands honesty. This ‘threat’ surfaces precisely as the testimonies made in the latest Blue Ribbon Committee hearing begin to press for answers from the names it has raised,” he said.

The Senate President was referring to the June 4 hearing in which 18 former Marines testified and implicated several politicians in the alleged distribution of suitcases of cash.

Despite the reported threat, Cayetano said the Senate should remain focused on its work.

“Let there be no misunderstanding: the work of this Senate must continue. The surest test of whether a threat is genuine and not a pretext is simple – a real threat is used to protect the Senate’s work, never to suspend it,” he said. ###