Senator Risa Hontiveros said on Thursday that the root cause of the mayhem at the Senate on Wednesday evening was Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa’s refusal to face the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant.

“All this for a man who simply doesn’t want to face the law. That's it. That’s the whole story,” she expressed in a statement released Thursday, May 14.

She called out the majority and “bad faith actors” among the public who were politicizing the minority senators and their staff’s absence during the caucus, saying they had left after an “honest day’s work.”

“'Wag naman nilang gamitin sa pamumulitika ang pag-uwi ng ating Senate employees, who are doing an honest day’s work,” she said.

“There is only one reason some bad faith actors are trying very hard to make this controversial event about me and other Minority senators and the times we went home,” she added.

Moreover, she condemned the shooting incident that had taken place in the Senate, calling it a “desecration” of the “hallowed space” and public trust.

“Unfortunately, the Senate, The People’s House, the hallowed space where laws are made and rights are defended, was turned into a shooting range. That is desecration, not just of our walls, but of the trust placed in that institution,” she said. “What a historic low for our country.”

She said the Senate belongs to the Filipino people, with the senators serving as its stewards. Hence, a senator cannot “act like they own the place,” and barricade themselves within it to evade arrest.

“Kaya sana, para maiwasan ang panibagong karahasan at tensyon sa loob man o labas ng Senado, mag-submit na at makipagtulungan si Senator (Ronald) Dela Rosa sa mga alagad ng batas ukol sa kanyang warrant,” she said.

To conclude, she said that Filipinos deserve to see their public servants accountable, and that, despite the incident, senators will observe their duties.

“Let’s get our act together,” she said.

On Wednesday night, gunshots rang out inside the Senate building. Newly seated Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano described the incident as a possible security breach that may place senators at risk.

As of Thursday morning, a portion of the second floor of the Senate building was cordoned off while a forensic investigation continues.

In addition, the Southern Police District (SPD) identified the shooter as Mel Oragon, 44, a driver for the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), according to a report by RH 15 Jecelle Ricafort.