Senate back to on-site work today

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate is set to resume its regular on-site operations today while strictly maintaining heightened security protocols, acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian announced.

Gatchalian’s Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr. yesterday confirmed that Senate employees would be returning to on-site work but visitors will still be prohibited, even those of senators.

The directive comes after the chamber implemented mandatory work-from-home arrangements last Wednesday and Thursday following a severe security threat flagged by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

While the Senate typically does not hold office hours from Friday to Sunday, security remained strict across the complex throughout the weekend.

The June 9 memorandum, issued by Gatchalian, initially authorized remote work for all Senate personnel while security forces assessed the credibility of the NBI intelligence report.

The report warned of a potential armed group plotting to disrupt the chamber’s operations and potentially trigger a wider destabilization plot.

While regular on-site operations are set to resume at the Senate, security forces are still actively validating the raw intelligence reports that triggered last week’s sudden work-from-home directives, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said.

He said the immediate security threat – which involved an alleged plot to use the legislative building as a “staging area” for armed unrest – appears to have been successfully thwarted by the chamber’s heightened protocols.