Senators informed of potential threat to Senate; security tightened — ANC

[0:00] after receiving intelligence reports of threats against the upper chamber. [0:04] But Senator Alan Cayetano questions the credibility of the supposed threat [0:08] and asks why only select senators were informed about it. [0:13] Victoria Tulad reports. [0:16] National Bureau of Investigation Director Melvin Matibag informed senators [0:20] during the Blue Ribbon Consultative meeting on June 8th [0:24] that there is a potential threat to the Senate. [0:27] This according to Senator Sherwin Gachalian, [0:29] who did not give details about the intelligence report. [0:32] Gachalian met with the Senate Executive Committee and Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms [0:36] to make the necessary security adjustments. [0:40] He assured that the security of all senators and Senate employees is paramount. [0:45] Gachalian is the recognized Senate President pro tempore [0:48] and acting Senate President of his bloc. [0:51] In a message, Senator Vicente Soto III said he heard the report of the NBI. [0:56] He described the threat as a clear and present danger and called it very serious. [1:02] Alfred Corpus, the sergeant-at-arms recognized by the Gachalian bloc, [1:06] inspected the Senate premises on Tuesday afternoon. [1:09] Corpus also tapped the Philippine National Police detailed at the Senate [1:28] to guard the ingress and egress areas of the building, including the second floor and lobby. [1:34] Employees were also advised of a work-from-home arrangement for June 10 and 11. [1:38] Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, however, questioned the supposed threat. [1:43] Cayetano and his bloc insists he is still Senate President. [1:47] He said if the threat is credible, then every senator and employee must be informed and protected. [1:53] He said security is not the concern of one bloc. [1:57] Cayetano also accused the NBI of being partisan and said [2:00] it is not credible to appoint itself as guardian of the Senate's safety. [2:05] ABS-CBN has yet to get a response from Matibag. [2:09] Malacanang said authorities are addressing the supposed threat. [2:13] It also issued a warning. [2:14] It is now being validated and it has been referred to the proper authorities. [2:20] Sa mga nagtatangka, kayo man ay senador o ordinaryong tao na nagsasagawa nito, [2:27] hindi po kayo makakaligtas sa kamay ng batas. [2:31] Senator Panfilo Lacson meanwhile said, [2:33] there is also raw information that the frustration within the armed services [2:38] has reached up to battalion and regional levels. [2:42] The armed services are reportedly closely monitoring the developments in the ongoing crisis [2:47] at the national level brought about by several factors such as the power play in the Senate, [2:53] flood control anomalies, inflation, and rise in oil prices, among others. [2:58] Asked if the situation could result in a possible coup d'etat against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., [3:04] Lacson said no coup attempts without civilian support have succeeded. [3:10] The danger, according to Lacson, is if some power-hungry destabilizers among aligned political groups [3:16] would take advantage by fanning the flame of discontent that could trigger widespread protests. [3:22] In a text message to ANC, Philippine Interior Secretary John Vicremoglia says, [3:27] they are aware of the supposed threat against the Senate but stressed the intelligence remains raw and unverified. [3:35] He, however, gave his assurance that they will provide adequate measures to protect the Senate building. [3:40] On Monday, the armed forces of the Philippines reiterated that it is non-partisan. [3:46] Of course, nakikita namin yung nangyari sa ating bangsa. [3:49] Hindi naman po kami bulag o hindi rin kami bingi. [3:52] We know what is happening. [3:54] Pero hindi naman po namin mandato na makialam sa politika. [3:59] That is not our mandate. [4:01] This was Bronner's response after Davao City First District Representative Paolo Duterte [4:06] asked members of the armed forces in a social media post [4:09] if they need eyeglasses to see more clearly what is going on in government. [4:14] Sa nakikita naman po natin, umaandar naman po yung democratic processes. [4:19] Nagkakaroon ng mga hearing. [4:21] In fact, sabi nga ng mga tao yung nangyari sa Senado na nagpalit ng liderato. [4:29] Nanonood rin lang kami but then somebody said that that is democracy working for us. [4:35] Victoria Tulad, ABS-CBN News. [4:37] Manila Representative Bienvenido Abante Jr. sues 18 former security aides [4:44] who also claim to be bag men of ex-Congressman Zaldi Co. [4:48] Abante filed libel and cyber libel complaints against the men, their lawyer, [4:52] and a media entity for linking him to flood control kickbacks. [4:56] Abante denied the allegations and described them as false and defamatory. [5:01] The chief Philippine graft-buster says Kost's former bodyguard should submit individual affidavits. [5:06] They were asked to appear before the office of the ombudsman in relation to the complaint affidavit [5:11] they filed against the alleged recipients of payoffs from Co. [5:15] The office of the ombudsman junks the complaints filed against Malacanang Executive Secretary Ralph Recto [5:22] over the transfer of 60 billion pesos in PhilHealth funds when he was financed secretary. [5:28] The ombudsman cited a lack of prima facie evidence to warrant the filing of charges against Recto [5:33] and former PhilHealth President and CEO Emanuel Ledesma Jr. [5:39] The complaints accused the two officials of plunder, technical malversation, graft, and grave misconduct. [5:45] But the ombudsman said it found no probable certainty of conviction [5:49] that their acts amount to the recommended criminal and administrative charges. [5:54] Tonight, a dismissed Philippine police officer tagged as the mastermind [5:58] in the 2016 killing of South Korean trader Ji Ik Ju is finally arrested. [6:04] Karan de Guzman reports. [6:12] After years on the run, Foreign Police Lieutenant Colonel Rafael Dumlao III, [6:17] the alleged mastermind in the 2016 abduction and killing of South Korean businessman Ji Ik Ju [6:23] has finally been arrested. [6:25] Authorities tracked him down inside the house in Barangay Pasong, Tomo, Quezon City [6:29] early Tuesday morning, following three weeks of surveillance [6:33] by the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group. [6:36] Interior Secretary John V. Cremuli said [6:38] a tipster helped authorities pinpoint Dumlao's whereabouts. [6:43] It looks like he's been there for a while. [6:45] Hindi namin kalala kung sinong may-ari ng bahay. [6:47] Mataas ang pader niya, maraming puno. [6:49] So, nakita siya roon, saka namin inak kaagad yung intelligence. [6:55] Authorities were able to confirm Dumlao's presence in the property [6:58] after detecting movement there on Sunday, the same day his child got married. [7:03] Naka-ano siya, Facebook Live, yung pinapanood niyo yung kasal ng anak niya. [7:09] Hindi siya umatendang kasal, pero nagkaroon ng movement doon sa bahay. [7:14] Investigators recovered a firearm from Dumlao, [7:17] although it was registered under another person's name. [7:20] His cellphone and laptop were also seized [7:22] as authorities look into who may have helped harbor him during his years in hiding. [7:27] The informant to tip off police will receive the 1 million peso reward [7:30] previously offered for his capture. [7:33] In 2023, a local court acquitted Dumlao of the charges. [7:37] But the Court of Appeals later reversed that decision, [7:40] convicting him of kidnapping with homicide, [7:42] kidnapping and serious illegal detention and car napping. [7:45] Ito yung resulta ng abuso sa tokhang. [7:52] Kasi ang ginawa sa kanya, kinatok lang sa pintuan. [7:55] Sabi, it was a drug raid. [7:58] Giniwa siya, which turned out to be a kidnapping. [8:01] In this case, ginawa namin na lahat according to law. [8:04] Kung PMP chief ko man dati, kung polis ka dati, [8:08] it is not a consideration that the institution is above everything else. [8:14] Meanwhile, Sen. Pan-Philoping Laxon welcomed Dumlao's arrest. [8:19] In a post on X, Laxon said law enforcement never sleeps. [8:23] He also reiterated the need for the PNP to continue its internal cleansing efforts [8:27] to prevent similar cases from happening again. [8:30] Karen de Guzman, ABS-CBN News. [8:35] U.S. President Trump sees progress in peace negotiations with Iran. [8:39] He says he expects developments in a couple of days. [8:41] Trump is confident a deal will be made and insists his blockade of the Strait of Hormuz remains effective. [8:48] We have ongoing negotiations in Iran and with Iran that hasn't stopped. [8:58] And we could have at least an idea by one or two days from now. [9:03] But I think it's going well. [9:06] The blockade continues to hold 100%. [9:09] Nothing is getting through our blockade. [9:11] No oil, no income, no nothing. [9:14] Nothing's getting through the blockade. [9:16] Trump also commented on reports a U.S. military helicopter crashed near the Strait of Hormuz early Tuesday. [9:24] He said the pilots are safe and no one was injured. [9:27] He did not provide additional details on the incident and said a formal report will be available soon. [9:34] Philippine underemployment rate rises as more Filipinos sought extra jobs amid a cost-of-living crisis due to the war in Iran. [9:41] Data shows the underemployment rate climbed from the 12.3% in March to 15.2% in April. [9:48] That meant some 7.41 million workers were taking up additional shifts or side hustles in exchange for more income. [9:56] That's the highest rate in nearly three years. [9:58] The unemployment rate dipped from 5% in March to 4.7% in April. [10:04] The Marcus Jr. administration acknowledges the latest numbers reflect headwinds for the economy. [10:09] It vows to continue rolling out aid to workers and households affected by the Middle East crisis. [10:16] Philippine shares bounced back from Monday's drop as cooling Middle East tensions send oil prices lower. [10:23] Michelle Ong tells us more. [10:27] After a three-day sell-off, Asian stocks are rebounding from their biggest drop since March this Tuesday [10:32] as investors take advantage of cheaper valuations for AI shares, [10:36] while oil is steady as Iran and Israel pledge to e-strikes that threaten peace talks in the Middle East. [10:41] Here at home, Philippine shares are clawing back yesterday's losses with the index inching closer back to 6,000. [10:47] Markets, at least as far as the PSE is concerned lately, have had very thin positioning lately. [10:55] There's very thin liquidity and that's led to very wild moves, [11:00] particularly around headlines. [11:04] So when you see an escalation, let's say, in the war in Iran, [11:09] Philippine stocks are very quick to sell off. [11:12] And conversely, like we saw last night, [11:15] when positive news comes out of some ceasefire or whatever out of Iran, [11:21] Philippine stocks are just as easily very quick to fly higher. [11:27] So it's a very difficult market to trade if you're actively trying to trade this [11:33] because it's basically impossible to try in time these global events. [11:39] In corporate stories, Century Pacific Food confirms three civilian casualties [11:43] after a warehouse wall at one of its facilities collapsed [11:46] during the massive 7.8 magnitude quake on Monday. [11:49] It says operations remain suspended as it assesses the full extent of the impact to its facilities [11:55] with a target to return to operations within one to two weeks. [11:58] Meanwhile, Alliance Select Foods says its General Santos facility was affected by the earthquake [12:02] that struck General Santos City and neighboring areas. [12:06] It's a precautionary measure and due to continuing aftershocks, [12:09] operations there have been temporarily suspended [12:11] while safety inspections and damage assessments are being conducted [12:14] with resumption targeted by June 16th next week, Tuesday. [12:18] Meanwhile, Nickel Asia clarifies it did sign a joint development agreement last week [12:24] through its unit Emerging Power Inc. with AquaPower Philippines, [12:27] but it is solely for the purpose of expressing the intentions of parties [12:31] and their preliminary understanding on the identification, evaluation, negotiation, [12:37] development and implementation of up to 5,000 megawatts [12:40] of prospective greenfield power generation projects, [12:43] including renewable energy and gas-fired power projects. [12:46] And at this stage, no project has been approved in the pipeline yet. [12:51] Finally, PLDT's board has approved the company's pursuit of a potential listing [12:54] of a real estate investment trust that is expected to initially include [12:58] its stabilized, income-generating data center assets under Vitro, [13:03] a subsidiary of e-PLDT Inc. [13:05] Michelle Long, ABS-CBN News.