Shots fired in Senate as it gives Bato refuge
It was an unprecedented night of terror when shots were fired on Wednesday evening inside the Senate building where Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa had been holed up for the third day to avoid arrest and transfer to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano and Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla could not immediately say who started the shooting, which did not result in any gun injuries.
The first two gunshots rang out around 7:46 p.m. on a second floor corridor followed by multiple gunfire, some sounding like they came from automatic weapons, as armed members of the Office of the Senate Sergeant at Arms (Osaa), several wearing bulletproof vests, police and Marines in full combat gear deployed at the scene.
People could be heard screaming in the background with every shot heard from the corridor where the lights were later turned off. Dozens of journalists were told to leave the area as shots continued. The sporadic gunfire lasted less than three minutes.
A dzMM reporter said some journalists and cameramen were hurt in the ensuing panic and chaos when camera tripods toppled as they fled.
The area was later cordoned off. According to Remulla, they would be checking the Senate’s six-story building floor-by-floor and the adjacent building occupied by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).
It wasn’t immediately clear who started shooting, or whether there was an actual exchange of gunfire between law enforcement, including the Senate Marines security force, and the unidentified gunmen.
The first media reports indicated that the shooting may have erupted as authorities again tried to serve the ICC arrest warrant on Dela Rosa, but officials later denied that they had attempted to arrest the senator on Wednesday.
National Bureau of Investigation Director Melvin Matibag denied his agents were even at the Senate. “We had no order to arrest Bato,” he said.
At around 8:30 p.m., Remulla, who oversees the Philippine National Police, arrived. “I am here to ensure the integrity of the Senate and the protection of all the senators,” he told reporters.
He said President Marcos gave him strict instructions: “Secure the senators whoever they may be. Next, we are not here to arrest Dela Rosa. In fact, we’re here to protect him.”
In a TV interview, PNP chief Melencio Nartatez Jr. said “we have (PNP) personnel there, [but] according to them, it wasn’t them” who fired the first shots.
Several uniformed men in helmets and carrying long firearms were earlier seen talking to some members of the Senate security office near the elevator.
They refused to give any statements to the media as they proceeded to the area where the gunshots were later heard.
Marcos: ‘Not government-led’
Some of the panicked reporters rushed to the stairs going to the ground floor, as someone kept yelling at them to go down immediately.
The building was eventually cleared of journalists, who moved to the Senate complex’s GSIS gate several meters from the entrance for safety.
Following the tense incident, the President said the government had no involvement and assured the public that the Senate and the PNP would conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.
“The Senate and the PNP will investigate this. All I can say is, so that our people won’t worry, this was not the government’s doing,” the President said in Filipino in a video statement.
“No military soldier or NBI [agent] entered or left the Senate. We do not know who tried to enter and, because of that, there was a shooting,” he added.
Mr. Marcos also said there was no order to arrest Dela Rosa.
He then asked the public to remain calm as the government investigates the incident.
‘Under attack’
In a Facebook live shortly after the incident, Cayetano said the upper chamber was “allegedly under attack.”
“Four senators got tips 30 minutes ago while we were talking to leave because something was about to happen,” said Cayetano, who hid with his sister Pia and other senators in a room.
“This is the Senate of the Philippines. We are allegedly under attack. The Sergeant-at-Arms has confirmed that there is shooting here,” he said.
Cayetano said Mr. Marcos has called to assure him “it wasn’t [the] government” that was behind the chaotic turn of events.
During the call, he said, the President asked whether Remulla had already arrived at the Senate.
“Secretary Remulla of the DILG [Department of the Interior and Local Government] is here; General [Anthony] Aberin of the NCRPO [National Capital Region Police Office] is here,” Cayetano said. “[Defense] Secretary [Gilbert] Teodoro called us, and President Marcos also called us, assuring us that it wasn’t the government and asking about the situation—whether Secretary Jonvic was already here—and to make sure the investigation remains independent.”
Remulla arrived at the Senate around 8:30 p.m. to help secure the senators and others inside the building.
Cayetano accused Matibag of failing to ensure their safety.
According to him, Sen. Loren Legarda was on the phone with Matibag when the incident occurred.
During the call, his sister supposedly asked Matibag what the NBI would do to ensure their safety, to which the latter simply responded not to shout at him.
“Shouldn’t your response have been, ‘Ma’am/Sir, I’ll go there and make sure we can help,’” Cayetano said.
No deployment
Matibag, meanwhile, said he did not deploy any agents to the Senate.
“The problem there is that we didn’t deploy anyone there and we had no order to arrest Senator Bato,” he said in a TV interview.
Matibag said NBI officials were holding a three-day workshop and planning at the Sequoia Hotel Manila Bay.
According to him, the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms sought his help following gunshot reports inside the Senate premises.
Nartatez said they were still investigating the incident. —WITH REPORTS FROM LUISA CABATO, ZACARIAN SARAO, JASON SIGALES AND MARY JOY SALCEDO
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