One person has been taken into custody following a shooting incident inside the Senate building on Wednesday evening, with authorities continuing to investigate the circumstances and identify those involved, the Senate secretary general said.
In an interview with DZRH’s Dos Por Dos, Senate Secretary General Mark Llandro Mendoza confirmed that one individual is currently being held but declined to release further details, citing an ongoing investigation.
“Hindi ko lang siya pwede i-divulge muna kasi ongoing po ang investigation. Pero meron po. May iniimbetigahan po kami ngayon,” he said.
Authorities are still verifying the identity of individuals who allegedly attempted to access or move within the Senate premises at the time of the incident.
Mendoza said it has yet to be determined whether the person in custody was directly involved in the reported gunfire.
“Ongoing pa rin po ang investigation po. May mga nabanggit po ng mga personnel, so bini-verify pa lang po yan yung identity po ng mga nag-attempt na pumasok po sa Senado kagabi,” he said.
Reports state that the incident occurred on the second floor of the Senate building on the evening of May 13, when gunshots were reportedly heard during live broadcasts, causing alarm.
“Secured naman ang area,” Mendoza said, adding that the situation is now under control.
The incident unfolded amid heightened security measures surrounding Sen. Ronald ‘Bato’ Dela Rosa, who has been the subject of reports about a possible arrest in connection with an International Criminal Court (ICC) probe into alleged crimes against humanity and drug war during former President Rodrigo Duterte's term.
Security at the Senate complex includes in-house personnel from the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms, along with augmentation from the Philippine National Police’s Presidential Security Protection Group, the Philippine Marines, and Blue Guards, according to the Senate Secretary General.
Questions have been raised about whether the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) was involved, but Mendoza said authorities have yet to establish the identities of those involved. The NBI has denied conducting any operation to serve an arrest warrant at the time.
The investigation remains ongoing as of press time.
