DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla and Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano assured the public that authorities are investigating a shooting scare at the Senate, with officials saying security measures have been tightened to protect senators and personnel.
Facing the media after a meeting, Remulla said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had issued strict instructions to ensure the safety of all senators regardless of political affiliation.
Remulla also clarified that he was not at the Senate to arrest Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, who has been under Senate protection amid developments involving the International Criminal Court.
“I am not here to arrest Senator Dela Rosa. In fact, we are here to protect him,” Remulla said.
“We do not know who did this but we will find them, and we have all the security footage. I am here with the Senate President to assure him that we are here to secure them,” he added.
Remulla said authorities were conducting sweeping operations and had asked non-essential personnel to leave the premises as part of security protocols.
Cayetano thanked those who prayed for their safety, as well as Marcos, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., Remulla, and PNP Chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. for their support.
The Senate President said coordination meetings with security agencies, including the National Bureau of Investigation, had been ongoing since Monday to help secure the Senate, especially with the expected arrival of the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte.
Cayetano said senators were surprised after receiving instructions to go home early, noting that they decided to stay late because the impeachment documents were expected to be transmitted to the Senate.
He said some senators initially thought the sound came from fireworks, but became alarmed after smelling gunpowder and after the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms reported that there was a shooter.
Cayetano said he had informed Remulla about who they suspected may have been behind the incident, but declined to give details pending the investigation.
He also asked members of the media to submit any video footage or material that could help authorities establish what happened.
The Senate leadership has yet to decide whether work will proceed Thursday, especially after the Articles of Impeachment were formally received by the chamber.
Meanwhile, NBI Director Melvin Matibag denied that agents of the bureau were deployed to the Senate or that an order had been issued to arrest Dela Rosa.
In an interview with GMA News, Matibag said he and other NBI officials were at the Sequoia Hotel in Quezon City for a three-day planning workshop when he learned about the incident through a call from Sen. Loren Legarda.
“Panahon po ng aming fellowship nang nakatanggap ako ng tawag kay Senator Loren na paalisin ko raw po mga agent ng NBI. Ang sabi ko po sa kanya, wala kaming agents diyan. At wala naman po talaga,” Matibag said.
“Kasi daw nagpaputok. So sabi ko paimbestigahan niyo. Ipahuli niyo yung nagpaputok dahil siguradong wala kaming tao sa Senado,” he added.
Matibag said it would not be helpful for the NBI to proceed to the Senate while the agency was being blamed for the incident. He said the information he had received about the shooting scare came only from videos streamed and uploaded on Facebook.
He also denied claims that NBI agents posed as media personnel to enter the Senate building.
Matibag said any move to implement an arrest warrant would require inter-agency coordination and a formal meeting before a decision is made.
“Meron din pong Supreme Court case at tinitignan din po namin ang direksyon niyan,” he said.