MANILA, Philippines—Justice Secretary Frederick Vida said Wednesday that the Senate Building was not under attack last May 13.
He was giving an update on the investigation being conducted by a panel of prosecutors into the Senate events from May 11 to May 13.
READ: Cayetano: Senate ‘allegedly under attack’
Vida dismissed claims of an assault on the legislative building, saying that the action of the Senate’s Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) against members of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) who were at the GSIS Building was unjustified.
He also said the Department of Justice (DOJ) created a panel of prosecutors who will probe the events at the Senate from May 11, when Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa appeared, to May 13, when the shooting occurred at the Senate halls.
Based on documentary records, CCTV footage, witness statements, and materials submitted by the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG), the media, and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), the panel made the following initial findings:
- The action taken by the OSAA against the NBI on May 13, 2026 was not justified;
- The Senate building was not under attack on the night of May 13, 2026;
- The NBI was legitimately attempting to implement an arrest warrant against Dela Rosa;
- Following the unsealing and public release of the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant on May 11, 2026, any person who assisted the senator in escaping may be held criminally liable.
“The objective is simple: to establish the facts and determine accountability wherever the evidence may lead,” Vida said.
Last May 11, Dela Rosa appeared before the Senate to participate in the election of a new Senate president, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano. While inside, he said NBI agents chased him in an attempt to arrest him.
Dela Rosa was placed under the protective custody of the Senate. On May 13, a shooting ensued, with the OSAA claiming that members of the NBI were attempting to sneak into the Senate premises.
The NBI said the GSIS sought their assistance in sealing a connecting door to the Senate, while an NBI driver was arrested by OSAA members.
But the driver denied having a gun, saying he was at the premises only to retrieve a bag containing medicine for a senior NBI agent.
READ: Matibag: NBI driver may have gotten gunpowder in Senate premises
Cayetano said they were told to leave the Senate premises because something was bound to happen. He said anyone in the government must take seriously what was happening at the Senate.
“This is the Senate of the Philippines. We are allegedly under attack. The Sergeant-at-Arms has confirmed that there is shooting here,” he said.
Vida said the panel was unable to inspect the actual Senate premises.
“The Senate deferred action on the request by the panel for an ocular inspection of the Senate premises and additional information because it noted that separate and similar investigations are already being conducted by the Office of the Ombudsman and the PNP-CIDG, to which they are cooperating,” Vida said.
He added that the Senate also took note that the NBI, which was involved in the incident, is an agency under the DOJ, which might present a conflict of interest.
Vida also said he is hoping that the Senate, now under the leadership of Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian, will be cooperative. /mcm