Marcos says government not behind shooting incident at Senate

 

Marcos says on video that the government was not involved in the melee at the Senate

President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. has issued a video statement saying the government was not behind the gunshots fired inside the Senate building Wednesday afternoon that prompted people inside to run for cover.

The chaos ensued after armed men reportedly tried to attempt to enter the Senate premises where Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa has been holed up since Monday after the International Criminal Court confirmed an arrest warrant against him.

(A video footage taken by the Associated Press of the melee inside the Senate is posted here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGHgxh5bRwo).

Marcos said there was no instruction for anyone to arrest Senator dela Rosa. After the Supreme Court deferred Dela Rosa’s urgent motion to stop his arrest, the president said he ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to leave the Senate building, where the senator is under “protective custody.”

“Ang NBI ay sinabihan ko nung lumabas yung resolution nu’ng Supreme Court mga 4 yun kaninang hapon; sinabi ko ‘umalis na kayo diyan’ at nag-comply naman sila. Kaya nung kausap ko si Director [Melvin] Matibag sabi niya walang NBI dito [Senate]. Nandito lahat kami sa opisina,” said the President.

(I told the NBI when the Supreme Court resolution came out, around 4 this afternoon; I told them to leave that area, and they complied. So when I spoke with Director Matibag, he said there was no NBI here [at the Senate]. We are all here in the office.)

“Walang pumasok na tigalabas na sundalo, na militar, na NBI sa Senado. Hindi po natin alam kung sino yung sumubok na pumasok at saka dahil doon ay nagkaputukan,” he said.

(No soldiers, military personnel or NBI entered the Senate from the outside. We do not know the identity of those who tried to enter and as a result gunshots were fired).

He assured the public that the Senate and the Philippine National Police (PNP) would conduct a thorough investigation.

He explained that only two types of uniformed personnel are stationed inside the Senate: officers of the PNP and members of the Marines.

Both PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. and NBI director Melvin Matibag have denied that their personnel were behind the gunshots.

Senator dela Rosa has been holed up at the Senate since Monday to evade arrest by the ICC

Following the incident, the PNP went on full alert status starting at 8:30pm on Wednesday. In a statement it said it has intensified security monitoring and police presence in the vicinity of the Senate.

The national police force said it had deployed about 1,500 personnel at the Senate and its vicinity as part of security measures.

Journalists who were at the scene said the gunshots were fired after men with rifles and protective gear went up the legislative building. They were spotted talking with Senate security staff earlier.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla later told the media that the first shots came from personnel of the Senate Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA).

He said that at about 7:46 p.m., Senate security staff fired guns to stop the armed men from going up to the second floor of the building.

As the investigation into the incident got underway, rumors started to swirl about it being a set-up to try to get Senator dela Rosa out of the building.

The senator went into hiding six months ago after reports indicated the ICC had issued a warrant of arrest against him, and only resurfaced Monday to stage a coup with allied senators that resulted in Senate President Tito Sotto being replaced by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano.