House security put to the test with anti-terrorism simulation exercise

Retired PMGEN Napoleon C. Taas, the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House of Representatives, leads the “anti-terrorism” security exercise of the institution at the Batasan Complex in Quezon City to ensure the readiness of its own security contingent, in cooperation with other law enforcement and related agencies to address any possibility of such a threat.

MANILA, Philippines — Monday’s shock anti-terror drill at the House of Representatives put security protocols and preparedness to the test to see if the House could rise to the challenge.

The retiring Sergeant-at-Arms of the lower chamber, PMGEN Napoleon Taas, orchestrated an exercise to test the House personnel’s capability, interoperability, and proficiency, alongside the weapons and communication systems necessary for potential security threats.

“We conducted the anti-terrorism security exercise upon the instruction of Speaker Martin G. Romualdez,” Taas said in a statement.

“The Speaker wants to ensure that our internal security forces can work seamlessly with law enforcement authorities to effectively address any threats directed against the House of the People,” Taas added.

Retired PMGEN Napoleon C. Taas (standing), the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House of Representatives, leads the “anti-terrorism” security exercise of the institution at the Batasan Complex in Quezon City to ensure the readiness of its own security contingent, in cooperation with other law enforcement and related agencies to address any possibility of such a threat.

According to Taas, the anti-terrorism drill is one of the various security exercises the House regularly conducts to strengthen the readiness of security forces.

Other government agencies that participated in the anti-terrorism drill were personnel of the Legislative Security Bureau (LSB), the operating arm of the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms; personnel from the Quezon City Police District Crowd Disturbance Management and Police Security Protection Group of the Philippine National Police (PSPG-PNP), Joint Anti-Terror Task Force-National Capital Region (JTF-NCR) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), as well as personnel from the private security agency serving the House of Representatives.

Personnel of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and medical personnel of the House of Representatives also provided support during the anti-terrorism drill.

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