Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano slammed the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for allegedly stirring up an unspecified security threat, accusing the agency of using it as a political tool to distract the public from an ongoing corruption probe. 

Cayetano questioned why the NBI selectively shared the intelligence with only a few lawmakers rather than the entire chamber, arguing that a genuine institutional threat should never be the private possession of one faction. 

“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. Security is not the concern of one bloc. It is the concern of the entire Senate.” Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano wrote on his social media account.

He demanded full disclosure on the nature of the evidence, pointing out that the NBI bypassed standard security protocols by failing to clear the information with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, or the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency.

“Since when has the NBI been the lead agency on matters of national intelligence and security? Where, in all of this, are the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police—the institutions actually mandated to assess and respond to threats of this nature? Has this so-called intelligence been validated by the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, or by anyone in the professional intelligence community?” Senator Cayetano continued.

The Senate leader directly attacked the NBI's credibility, labeling the bureau "clearly partisan" and reminding the public of recent violent clashes inside the legislature. 

Cayetano recalled a chaotic incident weeks ago where NBI personnel allegedly assaulted a Senate employee, blocked an elected senator, and provoked a shootout with the Senate's own Sergeant-at-Arms on the legislative grounds. 

He also criticized the NBI Director for publicly choosing sides in an internal Senate leadership dispute, declaring that an external agency involved in physical violence within the building cannot credibly appoint itself the guardian of the senators' safety.

Cayetano firmly linked the timing of the security scare to the explosive testimonies emerging from the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. 

“And the timing demands honesty. This “threat” surfaces precisely as the testimonies made in the latest Blue Ribbon Committee hearing begins to press for answers from the names it has raised. We are asked to accept that this is coincidence. The Filipino people are not so easily convinced.” The Senate President said.

He stated that the threat conveniently surfaced just as the panel began pressing for hard answers from key individuals named in a massive multi-billion-peso flood control funding scandal. 

According to the Senate President, the move is a deliberate attempt to manage narratives, pressure the independent institution, and shift the national conversation away from government accountability.

Vowing that the legislature will not be intimidated or silenced, Cayetano confirmed that all legislative operations and committee hearings will proceed without delay. 

“And 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. We will not permit the safety of this institution to become the instrument for silencing it.” Senate President Cayetano stressed.

He emphasized that the Senate must stay focused on passing critical economic measures and addressing urgent national crises, including climate disruptions impacting farmers and ongoing earthquake recovery efforts in Mindanao. 

The Senate will rely on its own internal security forces rather than surrender its independence to external actors, Cayetano concluded, asserting that the Filipino people are discerning enough to see through the diversion.

‍