The Senate will conduct a thorough assessment to determine how long its 'heightened security' measures and work-from-home arrangement for employees should remain in place, according to the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA).
According to DZRH's Damdaming Bayan report by RH Raymund Dadpaas, Retired Police Major General Alfred Corpuz, chief of the OSAA, said authorities will evaluate the situation before deciding whether to downgrade the current heightened alert status.
The Senate has sought assistance from several law enforcement and intelligence agencies, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), and the Philippine National Police (PNP), to validate an intelligence report shared by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
The report indicated that an armed group was allegedly planning to cause disruption at the Senate, prompting officials to implement stricter security measures and a work-from-home schedule for employees, which remains in effect.
“Until such time na yun nga, mag ano na yun, bumaba na yung threat level natin. For now doubt yung place lang naman yung idineklara, diba? So we're going to make an... we will assess the situation after,” Corpuz said.
As part of the heightened security measures, additional personnel from the PNP’s National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Regional Mobile Force Battalion and the Southern Police District have been deployed to secure the Senate complex.
Meanwhile, the Pasay City government has begun removing tents, tarpaulins, and chairs set up by pro-Duterte groups conducting protests along Jose Diokno Boulevard.
According to Luisito Pascual of the Pasay Environment and Natural Resources Office, protest groups were granted permits to hold demonstrations from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. However, he said the groups had established tents and remained at the site continuously for more than a month.
Pascual noted that the structures have become an obstruction to traffic flow, particularly as delegates and visitors from ASEAN member countries travel to and from the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).
