The Senate may be facing a security threat, but Senator Panfilo Lacson warned the issue extends far beyond the chamber, saying intelligence reports indicate growing discontent among the military and other uniformed services, posing a potential threat to national stability.
According to some senators, the information the chamber faced a security threat was relayed by National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) director Melvin Matibag during a consultative meeting of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on Monday.
Senator Win Gatchalian said the information was about a “potential threat” to the Senate premises.
Lacson, however, said the situation was far more serious, noting that it involved military and other uniformed personnel.
“As per the information, though still sketchy and raw, the level of frustration within the armed services has reached up to battalion and regional levels,” Lacson told reporters on Tuesday.
The exasperation among the military reportedly stemmed from the ongoing standoff in the Senate leadership, the unresolved flood control fiasco, the surging inflation, and the rising petroleum prices.
“The danger is if some unscrupulous and power-hungry destabilizers among some aligned political groups take advantage by fanning the flames of discontent, rightly or wrongly, which could trigger widespread mass movements and protests,” Lacson said.
Because of this, Lacson said, the authorities were keeping a close eye on the “ongoing crisis at the national level brought about by numerous factors, both internal and external.”
Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III noted the security threat to the Senate was “very serious,” warranting tight security measures to prevent it from escalating.
A lockdown of the chamber, however, would depend entirely on the recommendations of security officials.
“The threat is a clear and present danger, therefore, serious considerations must be taken,” he told reporters.
Gatchalian is scheduled to meet with the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms to discuss heightened security measures and to adjust the protocols within the Senate in the face of the threat.
Coup rumors ‘fake news’
Meanwhile, rumors of a coup d’état have persisted since last year, although the AFP has repeatedly dismissed them as “fake news” aimed at fuelling political noise and destabilizing the government.
The AFP has stressed that it continues to back President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as the commander-in-chief.
Last January, a senior Philippine Army officer, Col. Audie Mongao, withdrew his support from the President, which led to his relief. He faces a general court-martial for violating Article of War 63, which penalizes acts of disrespect toward the President and other high-ranking government officials.
While unverified reports — alleging an internal rift in the AFP and an institutional withdrawal of support for the President — have periodically circulated since 2024, the case of Mongao, an active duty senior officer, was the first of its kind.
The President’s father and namesake — the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. — was embroiled in a similar situation in February 1986 when the AFP withdrew its support following allegations of massive electoral fraud in the snap elections against the late President Corazon Aquino.
This led to the EDSA People Power Revolution which drove Marcos Sr. and his family, including the young Ferdinand Jr., to flee the country and go into exile in Hawaii.