The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Wednesday rejected claims that the videos used in the investigation of the May 13 Senate shooting incident were manipulated or “spliced,” insisting the footage came directly from the Senate’s own CCTV system.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla made the statement in response to allegations raised by suspended acting Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca, who earlier claimed that authorities only used selected clips to support their narrative of the incident.
“No, not at all. May time-stamped naman lahat so it couldn’t have been spliced,” Remulla told reporters.
“Those were direct from CCTV cameras of the Senate, their servers. Hindi puwedeng spliced iyon dahil may time-stamp din siya,” he added.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro echoed Remulla’s statement, saying the footage presented by the Philippine National Police (PNP) during a Malacañang briefing and later submitted to the Department of Justice (DOJ) as evidence all originated from Senate sources.
The videos formed part of the government’s investigation into the gunfire-related incident inside the Senate complex on May 13, when Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa was reportedly under Senate protective custody amid reports that an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant against him could be enforced.
Dela Rosa faces crimes against humanity allegations linked to the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign.
Based on the footage and evidence gathered by investigators, Remulla maintained that the Senate was never under attack and claimed that Aplasca was the first to fire shots from inside the building.
Authorities recovered at least 44 fired bullet casings linked to four firearms. Of these, 23 casings were reportedly matched to three identified and tested weapons.
Investigators identified possible shooters as Aplasca, Charlie Dulao Montilla, Joemil Salzar Ledesma, all from the Office of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms, and NBI Senior Agent Darwin Nicomedes Francisco.
Remulla noted that among the four individuals, only Aplasca allegedly failed to appear and submit his firearm for examination.
The government also released video footage showing Dela Rosa and Senator Robin Padilla leaving the Senate premises before dawn on May 14.
According to Remulla, the footage showed three individuals entering a white SUV at around 2:30 am, including Padilla, Dela Rosa, and an unidentified female companion believed to be an assistant.
“They boarded the white SUV, confirmed owned by Senator Robin Padilla. They proceeded outside, unimpeded, and headed towards the Makati area as of 2:32 am, as caught by city cameras,” Remulla said.
He added that authorities have no additional footage after the vehicle left toward Makati and have yet to identify the female companion seen in the video.