By Darryl John Esguerra
MANILA – Malacañang said Senate Sergeant-at-Arms and retired police major general Mao Aplasca fired the first warning shot during Wednesday night’s shooting incident at the Senate building.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents identified themselves before the first shot was fired.
“Nagpakilala na NBI agents at nung nagsabi sila ng kanilang pagkakakilanlan, agad nagpaputok ng warning shot si Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca (The NBI agents identified themselves and Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca fired warning shots almost immediately),” Castro said during a press briefing at the Palace.
“At dahil doon, napilitan ding magpaputok ng warning shot ang NBI agent (Because of that, the NBI agents are forced to answer with their own warning shots),” she added.
Castro stressed that NBI agents “made no assault” during the incident.
The clarification came after confusion and conflicting reports emerged following the lockdown at the Senate Wednesday evening, where gunshots were heard amid heightened political tensions surrounding Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who is subject of a warrant of arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over killings in the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.
In the same briefing, Philippine National Police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said at least 30 shots were fired during the incident, allegedly originating from the Senate side.
Meanwhile, NBI Director Melvin Matibag said NBI agents were in the area after being asked to secure the nearby Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) compound, which shares a perimeter wall with the Senate building.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. earlier denied that outside military or police forces entered the Senate complex.
Matibag said the NBI team was not sent to arrest Dela Rosa and had standing instructions not to approach the senator after he was placed under the Senate’s “protective custody.”
The NBI chief also addressed viral videos showing individuals supposedly drilling near an access point between the Senate and GSIS.
According to Matibag, the operation was meant to secure the shared access area after GSIS officials raised concerns over unauthorized movement in and out of the compound.
“The primary concern was securing the area and protecting employees,” he said.
Matibag also clarified that a man identified in reports as “Mel Oragon” was not an official NBI employee but a volunteer driver assisting the team as a “force multiplier,” a common practice during operations.
Authorities are continuing their investigations to establish the full sequence of events behind one of the most dramatic security incidents to hit the Senate in recent years. (PNA)
