SINIMULAN na ng Senado ang inter-agency security preparations para sa nalalapit na impeachment trial ni Vice President Sara Duterte, habang nanawagan si Senate President Pro Tempore at Acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian ng mahigpit na koordinasyon upang maging maayos at mapayapa ang proceedings.

Nagpulong ang Senado nitong Martes, June 16, kasama ang mga kinatawan ng government agencies, law enforcement bodies at intelligence units upang talakayin ang mga hakbang sa seguridad para sa trial.

Tinalakay sa pulong ang operational protocols, contingency plans, traffic and crowd management, emergency response arrangements at iba pang hakbang para matiyak ang ligtas at maayos na pagdaraos ng proceedings.

Sinabi ni Gatchalian na kailangan ang maagang koordinasyon dahil hindi umano idinisenyo ang Senate building para sa sabay-sabay na malalaking aktibidad.

“I believe communication and coordination are important. The Senate is not designed to withstand many, many activities at the same time, and the OSAA is tasked with protecting the building, so we will need the support of our friends from the PNP and AFP to make sure that everything is smooth, orderly, and peaceful,” sinabi ni Gatchalian sa halong English at Filipino.

“We hope that we can continue to refine our plans. At the end of the day, what we want is for this impeachment process to be conducted in an orderly and peaceful manner,” dagdag niya.

Sinabi naman ni Senate Sergeant-at-Arms PMGen Alfred Corpus na kailangang maglatag ng nararapat na measures upang maprotektahan ang Senado, ang mga opisyal at empleyado nito, at iba pang maaaring maapektuhan ng mga aktibidad kaugnay ng trial.

“The Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms recognizes that the successful conduct of the impeachment trial will depend on the professionalism, expertise, and dedication of our partner agencies,” sinabi ni Corpus.

“By working together and maintaining close coordination, we can effectively address emerging challenges and ensure a secure environment for all concerned,” dagdag niya.

Nakatakdang pormal na magsimula sa July 6 ang impeachment trial laban kay Duterte, habang magsisimula naman sa June 18 ang pre-trial proceedings.

Dumating ang paghahanda habang hinaharap ng Senado ang impeachment process kasabay ng iba pang official activities at security-related concerns.