Gunshots rang out inside the Senate complex on Wednesday night, triggering panic among lawmakers and prompting a full-scale investigation into what Senate officials described as an alleged attack on the institution.
The shots were reportedly heard at around 7:45 p.m. near the second-floor hallway connecting the Senate building to the adjacent Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) building, although authorities have yet to determine who fired the shots or what exactly triggered the incident.
Moments after the gunfire erupted, Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano publicly declared that the Senate was “allegedly under attack.”
“We are allegedly under attack. The OSAA has confirmed na may putukan na dito,” Cayetano said in a livestreamed update.
Cayetano immediately instructed the Office of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) to switch off lights, remain alert, and prepare for the possibility of an active shooter situation.
Senate Secretary Mark Llandro Mendoza later said initial information reaching them suggested the shots may have come from the GSIS side of the complex, prompting Senate security personnel to respond.
Before the shooting, Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Ma-o Aplasca had reportedly instructed security personnel to wear bulletproof vests and carry long firearms, although no explanation was immediately given for the heightened alert.
Cayetano said Senators Loren Legarda and Pia Cayetano contacted Melvin Matibag during the incident after rumors spread that National Bureau of Investigation agents were inside the complex.
According to Cayetano, Matibag denied that NBI personnel were present inside the Senate or GSIS premises.
Pia Cayetano later said emotions were running high during the call as senators tried to understand what was happening while gunshots were being heard nearby.
The Senate President also revealed that some senators received warnings around 6:45 p.m. advising them to leave the premises, although the source and meaning of the warning remained unclear.