Senators share their whereabouts during Senate shooting
Following the shooting incident at the Senate building on May 13, Philippine senators have begun providing public updates regarding their safety and locations during the event.
Shortly after the situation stabilized on Wednesday evening, Sen. Bong Go shared a group photo showing members of the Senate majority having dinner together. Seen in the picture are Senators Imee Marcos, Mark and Camille Villar, Loren Legarda, Alan and Pia Cayetano, and Joel Villanueva.
"Mga kababayan, huwag na po kayong mag-alala. Ligtas po kami. Ipagdasal ninyo po kami dito sa Senado," Go wrote in the caption.
The photo, which featured only a portion of the chamber, has prompted inquiries regarding the whereabouts of the remaining senators during the lockdown.
Erwin Tulfo
Speaking with DZBB, Sen. Erwin Tulfo said that he and his fellow senators were originally going to hold an all-member caucus on May 13. However, Cayetano later changed it into a meeting for members of the majority, which is why Tulfo and the other minority members had already left the premises when the shooting took place.
"I left the Senate ng mga 6 p.m. because I had a meeting. I left early, pagkatapos nalaman ko na lamang... I was having dinner with my family nung malaman ko na may putukan," he said.
Commenting on the circulating videos of the incident, he cautioned the public against jumping to conclusions, stating, "Wag na tayo mag speculate, hintayin natin yung investigation."
He further stressed the importance of maintaining the dignity of the chamber, noting that the institution represents more than its political divisions. "Respect the Senate, respect the institution. It doesn't matter kung sino naka upo diyan sa majority, minority."
Risa Hontiveros
In a statement on her Facebook page, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said that she flew to the province to participate in a scheduled conference.
"Ang mga colleagues sa Minority, ang aming mga staff, pati ang marami sa aming mga katrabaho ay nag-uwian dahil tapos na ang trabaho," she said.
She went on to criticize those who were using the situation to push political narratives, stressing that Senate employees had simply gone home after the workday had ended and should not be dragged into controversy for doing so.
"There is only one reason some bad faith actors are trying very hard to make this controversial event about me and other Minority senators and the times we went home. All this for a man who simply doesn’t want to face the law. That's it. That’s the whole story," Hontiveros said, referring to Sen. Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa.
"Unfortunately, the Senate, The People’s House, the hallowed space where laws are made and rights are defended, was turned into a shooting range. That is desecration, not just of our walls, but of the trust placed in that institution," she continued.
She ended her statement by calling on dela Rosa to cooperate with authorities and emphasized that the public “deserves a full, independent, and unobstructed accounting” of the incident.
Tito Sotto
Sen. Vicente "Tito" Sotto III, who was recently ousted as Senate President, detailed in a Facebook post that he also went home after his work at the Senate, where he was subsequently assaulted by a "rowdy and unruly crowd."
"I am furious and disappointed with the [Philippine National Police] and other security personnel assigned outside the Senate for failing to control the rowdy and unruly crowd, allowing them to assault me while inside my vehicle when I was about to exit the Senate," he wrote.
"The barbaric protesters banged my vehicle repeatedly, threw bottles and cursed foul remarks. They can see that I am driving alone with no bodyguards," he continued.
Other senators
Senators Rodante Marcoleta and Jinggoy Estrada appeared in the livestreams of other senators, while Sen. Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa was reportedly still in his office at the time.
Sen. Robin Padilla, on the other hand, was also in the building at the time of the gunshots.
The gunshots were fired some time after 7:40 p.m.
The Palace said the first warning shot fired inside the Senate building came from the upper chamber's Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms.
NBI agents at the GSIS Pasay building, which is near the Senate office, saw that OSAA personnel were geared up. According to Palace Press Officer Claire Castro, after the agents introduced themselves as members of the NBI, the first gunshots were fired.
“Nang magsabi sila ng pagkakakilanlan, agad nagpaputok ng warning shot si Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca, at dahil doon, napilitan ding magpaputok ng warning shot ang NBI agent,” Castro said.
"After mag-warning shot, doon na po nagkaroon ng maraming pagputok na galing sa OSAA tapos 'yung ating pong NBI agent, umalis na po sa lugar, tumakbo na po," NBI Director Melvin Matibag added.
The Southern Police District identified the suspect in the shooting incident as 44-year-old Mel Oragon, who is said to be a driver working for the NBI. He is currently under inquest and faces at least five charges, including violation of the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act, alarm and scandal, grave threats, direct assault, and violation of the Senate's security regulations.