MANILA — Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson rejected claims from some minority senators that the security survey and inspection (SSI) conducted in the Senate premises amounted to an “undeclared martial law.”

Lacson said the inspection was based on intelligence reports pointing to a possible security threat in the Senate, stressing that all offices were covered by the operation.

“Martial law? All the offices of individual senators, even including that of Acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian, as well as those occupied by the secretariat and all other offices, were subjected to safety and security inspections to make sure that we and the Senate employees as well as the media people covering the Senate will be safe and secure from a repeat of the May 13 shooting incident and mayhem that transpired under the watch of disgraced ex-Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano,” he said.

He added that no office was exempted from the inspection, including those of members of the majority bloc.

“Except for those of us who may be apprehensive that they may have kept or stored contraband items like firearms, explosives and drugs in their offices, those with clean consciences should all welcome instead of criticize the SSI that was conducted by the PNP and the Bureau of Fire Protection, assisted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” he added.

Earlier, Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian issued an advisory stating that the SSI was prompted by persistent intelligence reports from the National Bureau of Investigation, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, and other security assessments.

Gatchalian said the reports pointed to an “evolving security concern” in the context of heightened political tensions, ongoing impeachment proceedings, anticipated mass mobilizations, and possible threats that could disrupt Senate operations.

Some minority senators earlier raised objections to the inspection. Senator Alan Peter Cayetano questioned whether the chamber was under “martial law” after it was placed under what he described as a “lockdown” during a Facebook livestream.

Senator Robinhood Padilla also expressed concern in a social media post, saying the Senate should remain under civilian control and cautioning against treating it like a military camp.

“wag po ninyong itrato na kampo tayo ng sundalo (do not treat the Senate as a military camp),” he said.

Lacson also earlier said that efforts to use the so-called “18 Maleta boys” — former soldiers allegedly linked to money deliveries in suitcases — for destabilization attempts would not undermine the professionalism of uniformed services.

He added that the majority bloc is prepared for what he described as “dirty tricks” expected ahead of the Senate’s special session on Wednesday.