President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. addressed the nation via a video message late Wednesday, May 13, following a chaotic night of gunfire within the Senate premises. The President clarified that no government agency was authorized to arrest Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, despite his active ICC warrant, and denied that state forces were responsible for the reported shootout.
Marcos debunked claims that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) or other government units attempted a raid on the Senate, where Dela Rosa has been holed up since Monday. He explained that all armed personnel seen on the premises were part of the regular security detail.
”So lahat ng nakikita ninyong nakauniporme o armado ay nandoon at taga-doon. Nandun sila talaga. Doon sila nagdu-duty.”
The President emphasized that the administration has not moved to enforce the International Criminal Court’s mandate against the senator.
”At isa pa ay nais kong mai-bida sa inyong lahat, wala pong instruction kahit na kanino na huliin si Senator Bato.”
The incident occurred just hours after the Supreme Court declined to issue a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) on the ICC warrant. Marcos noted he had instructed NBI Director Melvin Matibag to withdraw his personnel from the vicinity as early as 4:00 p.m. to avoid escalation. When gunshots eventually rang out, the President reconfirmed with the NBI that they had not breached the building.
”Ang sabi sa akin: wala kang instruction, sir. Kaya’t ba’t namin gagawin yun?”
Marcos detailed that the uniformed presence consisted of the Philippine National Police (PNP) for crowd control, a permanent Marine detachment for security, and Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) personnel in civilian clothes. The mystery surrounding the source of the gunfire remains under investigation as the Senate remains under lockdown.