Neri beefs up security after receiving death threats

Commission on Higher Education chairman Romulo Neri has beefed up his security detail after receiving a death threat last week. Neri is a key figure in the Senate investigation of the $329.4-million National Broadband Network deal with Chinese company Zhong Xing Telecommunication Equipment Corp. Neri, who used to be the director general of the National Economic and Development Authority, said that last week, a man went to the NEDA office to warn that Neri will be assassinated. “I now have six guards, four from the police and two, personal. The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group is now verifying the information given by the man. We don’t know if it’s true. We have to take everything with a grain of salt," he told reporters late Tuesday during the birthday of a NEDA official. Although Neri said that he can still go wherever he wants, he has become more conscious of security owing to various threats that he has been receiving. “I have to be very careful. I don’t know. It’s hard to know whether they [threats] are real or not," he said. Neri also told reporters that he would prefer to return to his post as NEDA chief rather than stay on as CHED chairman. “The agreement was that I would be back here after six months. I like it here. I’m luckier here. Tell them all my problems began when I was moved to CHED," he said. Neri was transferred to CHED in July. - Cheryl Arcibal, GMANews.TV