The Office of the Ombudsman has formally requested a comprehensive list of media personnel who were at the Senate premises on May 13 and 14, 2026, as it deepens its fact-finding investigation into the recent shooting incident inside the complex.
In a formal directive, Maria Melinda Mananghaya-Henson, director of the Ombudsman’s Field Investigation Bureau, ordered the Senate’s Public Relations and Information Bureau to turn over all records identifying journalists and media workers who entered and stayed within the building during the specified dates.
Aside from the names, the anti-graft body is seeking official logbook entries to track the exact time of entry and exit of the media personnel. The Ombudsman noted that if the requested documents are unavailable, the Senate office must provide a sworn certification justifying their absence.
According to the Ombudsman, the digital and physical logs are vital to its ongoing independent probe into the armed confrontation between personnel from the Office of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) and alleged agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). The agency assured the upper chamber that all submitted files would be treated with the highest level of privacy.
“utmost confidentiality.”
The investigation stems from a high-profile standoff that occurred while the Senate was implementing protective custody for Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, who is currently facing an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Dela Rosa eventually left the Senate premises on May 14, hours after the violence subsided.
Suspended Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca previously admitted to triggering the gunfire inside the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) compound, which houses the Senate. Aplasca defended his actions by stating the discharge was merely a precautionary measure.
“warning shot.”
Separate independent investigations into the lockdown and the subsequent firearm discharge remain ongoing as authorities continue to collect testimonies, security footage, and documentary evidence from the scene.