National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag on Thursday strongly denied allegations that his agents instigated a violent confrontation at the Senate, clarifying that no operation was authorized to serve the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa.
The denial follows a chaotic scene on Wednesday night, May 13, where shots were fired within the Senate premises. Several lawmakers accused NBI personnel of posing as media members and sparking the tension in an attempt to take Dela Rosa into custody.
“We have not deployed our agents there. There was no instruction to us to arrest Senator Dela Rosa.”
Matibag revealed that he received a distress call from a senator during the height of the tension, requesting the immediate withdrawal of NBI operatives.
“I told the senator that we have no agents there, and there were really no agents there.”
The NBI chief further challenged the Senate to arrest any individuals claiming to be NBI personnel on-site. He also declined requests to send a team to the Senate following the gunfire to avoid further legal or physical complications for his staff.
“We are already being accused that we were the ones who fired the shots. How can we go there?”
Matibag emphasized that the bureau is adhering to a directive from Department of Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida to wait for a formal interagency meeting to determine the government’s official response to the ICC’s warrant.
“(Department of Justice Secretary Fredderick) Vida even gave us instructions that we should not do anything.”