Everyone safe, including Bato, says Cayetano after gunshots fired in Senate
Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano said that no one was hurt after multiple gunshots were fired in the Senate building, where Sen. Bato dela Rosa, who's wanted by the International Criminal Court, sought refuge.
"So far, everyone is safe. So far, walang balita po na anyone got hurt from the gunshot," he said in a Facebook livestream on May 13 evening.
He added that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and National Defense Sec. Gilbert Teodoro called to assure that the shots fired were not from the government.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla and Police Major General Anthony A. Aberin of the National Capital Region Police Office have also arrived at the premises, as per Cayetano.
In a joint presser with the Senate President, Remulla said Marcos gave strict instructions: "Secure the senators, whoever they may be."
The identity of the people behind the gunshots is still unknown, but Remulla said authorities will review all the security footage.
Cayetano further shared that dela Rosa is safe.
"Sen. Bato is secured. He's okay. Aakyatin namin ni Sec. Remulla. Hindi siya aarestuhin," the Senate President said.
"Ngayon, they will respect the Supreme Court's decision of giving three days each na mag-comment."
The high court directed key government officials to comment on dela Rosa's plea for a temporary restraining order on the ICC arrest warrant against him. They have 72 hours from receipt of the resolution to submit their comments. It also asked dela Rosa to send his reply within 72 hours from receipt of the respondents' comment.
Sen. Bong Go also shared a photo showing him and seven of the majority senators—Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, Imee Marcos, Joel Villanueva, Loren Legarda, Mark Villar, and Camille Villar—secure in one location.
In a previous Facebook livestream, Cayetano, who is allied to dela Rosa, said, "We are under attack" without elaborating.
NBI Director Melvin Matibag has since denied claims that he gave orders to arrest dela Rosa following the gunshots.
Dela Rosa, better known by his nickname "Bato", earlier Wednesday urged "my fellow men in uniform" and former classmates at the Philippine Military Academy, which produces most of the armed forces' officer corps, to "express their sentiment" that President Ferdinand Marcos's government "should not hand me over to foreigners".
Dela Rosa was police chief in 2016-2018, during Duterte's first two years in office.
The crackdown left thousands dead, human rights monitors say, many of them drug users and low-level narcotics peddlers.
Duterte was arrested in March last year, flown to the Netherlands on the same day, and is detained in the Hague where he awaits trial.
Dela Rosa had not been seen publicly since November before emerging on Monday to take part in an unexpected vote that helped Duterte loyalists capture control of the Senate.
