NCRPO still validating alleged threat to Senate

MANILA, Philippines — The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) on Monday maintained that it was still validating the alleged threat against the Senate.

“Whether or not there is a threat, our deployment is enhanced so that, if the threat is confirmed, we are already at a level where our deployment is appropriate for that kind of threat,” NCRPO Director Maj. Gen. Anthony Aberin told reporters in Camp Crame.

“We’re not being complacent. Our validation and monitoring remain ongoing. Who knows? Maybe our validation will yield results later or tomorrow,” he added.

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Recent tensions in the Senate further escalated on June 3, when a 12-member bloc ousted then-Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano and installed Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian as Senate president pro tempore and, in turn, acting Senate president.

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Despite the change in leadership, the Cayetano-led bloc held a public meeting where the 18 alleged bagmen of former lawmaker Zaldy Co testified regarding the flood control corruption scandal.

Last week, ahead of the Independence Day celebration, Gatchalian claimed there was a threat to the Senate in connection with the 18 alleged bagmen.

On Independence Day, the NCRPO deployed around 16,000 personnel and barricaded parts of Manila near Malacañang amid rumors that groups aligned with the Dutertes would storm the Palace.

Asked if the deployment was excessive, Aberin defended the move.

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“Actually, in every scheduled rally, that’s our deployment. We placed steel barriers and everything so there would be no agitation and friction between the rallyists and our police,” he said.

The Philippine National Police previously maintained that it had no verified intelligence on the supposed plan by Duterte-aligned groups. /mcm

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