Jamaine Punzalan

Senator Erwin Tulfo and members of the Senate majority under the Gatchalian bloc hold a meeting at the Session Hall of the Senate of the Philippines in Pasay City this Monday, June 8, 2026. The committee tackled issues involving the flood control scandal. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

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SENATE BLUE RIBBON--GATCHALIAN BLOC

Victoria Tulad

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/178097904281420260608-senate-blue-ribbon-gatchalian-bloc-MT6.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Senator Erwin Tulfo and members of the Senate majority under the Gatchalian bloc hold a meeting at the Session Hall of the Senate of the Philippines in Pasay City this Monday, June 8, 2026. The committee tackled issues involving the flood control scandal. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News "/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Senator Erwin Tulfo and members of the Senate majority under the Gatchalian bloc hold a meeting at the Session Hall of the Senate of the Philippines in Pasay City this Monday, June 8, 2026. The committee tackled issues involving the flood control scandal. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News </span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Intelligence information from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has cited a “very serious” threat to the security in the Senate, Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said Tuesday. </p><p>“The threat is a clear and present danger therefore serious considerations must be taken… Very serious according to the intel,” Sotto said. </p><p>“Yes, I overheard the report,” Sotto said in a message. “The threat is a clear and present danger therefore serious considerations must be taken.” </p><p>Asked about the extent of the supposed threat, Sotto replied, “Very serious according to the intel.” </p><p>He said implementing a lockdown would depend on the security measures and recommendations from those involved in the security plans are needed to determine if hearings would be conducted. </p><p>Sotto could not say, however, if there is a brewing coup d’état. </p><p>Sotto’s remarks come nearly a month after a <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/19/timeline-police-explain-what-happened-at-the-senate-shooting-incident-1728">shooting incident rocked the Senate premises on May 13.</a></p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/19/timeline-police-explain-what-happened-at-the-senate-shooting-incident-1728https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/3/doj-says-its-probe-of-senate-shooting-independent-of-other-investigations-1430">DOJ says its probe of Senate shooting independent of other investigations</a></div><p>The chaos preceded Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa’s disappearance from the Senate’s protective custody. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court over his alleged role in the Duterte administration’s war on drugs. </p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/24/nbi-teams-monitoring-3-areas-bato-dela-rosa-might-be-hiding-1343">NBI teams monitoring 3 areas Bato Dela Rosa might be hiding </a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/5/nbi-validating-reports-bato-spotted-on-a-yacht-going-to-a-province-1222">NBI validating &#x27;reports&#x27; Bato spotted on a yacht</a></div><p>The Senate remains locked in a leadership row between the groups of Senators Sherwin Gatchalian and Alan Peter Cayetano. </p><p>Gatchalian, who was elected as Senate president pro tempore by his allies last week, said he received information about the potential threat from NBI Director Melvin Matibag on June 8. </p><p>“During the Blue Ribbon consultative meeting yesterday, NBI Director Melvin Matibag informed the sectors present that there is a potential threat to the Senate building and the Senate premises,” Gatchalian said in a message. </p><p>“I will be meeting the Senate Executive Committee including the Sergeant-at-arms today to make the necessary security adjustments. The security and safety of all Senators and all Senate employees is paramount. We will make sure that our work environment is safe and secure,” he added. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>‘FRUSTRATION’ AMONG UNIFORMED SERVICES</strong></div><div> </div><p>Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, meanwhile, said the alleged threat not only involves the Senate.</p><p>“As per information, though still sketchy and raw, the level of frustration within the armed services has reached up to battalion and regional levels,” Lacson said in a message. </p><p>He said armed services include the military and police. </p><p>“They are reportedly closely monitoring the developments in the ongoing crisis at the national level brought about by numerous factors, both internal and external. Issues mentioned are the power play in the Senate and others like flood control anomalies, inflation, rise in oil prices, etc.,” Lacson shared. </p><p>Asked if the situation could escalate to a possible coup against President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., Lacson answered, “These people know their history - no coup attempts without civilian support have succeeded and those in the armed services ‘quietly’ expressing their frustrations are monitoring developments in this regard.” </p><p>“The danger is, if some unscrupulous and power-hungry destabilizers among some aligned political groups would take advantage by fanning the flame of discontent, rightly or wrongly, which could trigger widespread mass movements and protest,” Lacson added. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>CAYETANO QUESTIONS NBI INFO</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Cayetano, who insists that he is still Senate president, asserted that if the security threat against the chamber was credible, all senators and employees should be informed. </p><p>“Security is not the concern of one bloc. It is the concern of the entire Senate. So the questions are simple. Why was this information shared with some Senators and not others? What is the nature of the threat, who assessed it, and on what evidence?” he said. </p><p>He added that the source of the intelligence information, the NBI, should be weighed “carefully.” He said the agency had &quot;attempted to prevent an elected Senator from performing his duties&quot; and was involved in the May 13 shooting incident with Senate security personnel. </p><p>“And it is the same NBI now offering itself as the sole source of an unspecified threat it refuses to disclose, even to the senators it claims to be protecting. A clearly partisan NBI that was itself a party to violence within these walls cannot credibly appoint itself the guardian of our safety,” Cayetano argued. </p><p>He also suspects the timing of the reported threat at a time when the Blue Ribbon Committee has resumed its investigation on the flood control scandal.</p><p>He questioned whether the NBI’s report had been validated by other agencies. </p><p>“There is also the matter of how such information is handled. In every functioning legislature, and in our own experience, a genuine threat to the institution is shared across the entire body—administration and opposition, majority and minority alike. It is never the private possession of one faction. 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 added.</p><p>ABS-CBN is still trying to get the side of Matibag.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS FROM THE SENATE:</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nUsWDryE2xI?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wh6dlpx5vOg?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dYM68TTKSdE?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>An intelligence report has cited a “very serious” threat to the security in the Senate, Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said Tuesday.</p>

An intelligence report has cited a “very serious” threat to the security in the Senate, Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said Tuesday.

‘Serious’ threat to Senate security flagged in intel report — Sotto

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‘Serious’ threat to Senate security flagged in intel report — Sotto

Victoria Tulad,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 09, 2026 12:25 PM PHT

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Updated June 09, 2026 05:11 PM PHT

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