More than 900 police officers were deployed outside the Senate on Monday, May 18, as the upper chamber convenes as an impeachment court, according to National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) spokesperson Police Major Hazel Asilo.
According to a report by RH Jecelle Ricafort on DZRH’s ‘Dos Por Dos,’ those deployed included personnel from the Civil Disturbance Management Unit and members of the EO Detained 9.
Barbed wire remained installed at the Senate gates after it was reinstalled following the appearance of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa at the plenary session last week.
At around 1 p.m., members of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) were set to stage a protest outside the Senate. The group called for the removal of Vice President Sara Duterte from office and urged senators to heed the public’s demand for truth, justice, and accountability.
The group also renewed its call for the immediate arrest of dela Rosa and criticized the leadership of Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano as well as the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
BAYAN also stressed what it described as the government’s continuing failure to surrender dela Rosa to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in connection with the bloody war on drugs under the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte.
As of posting time, the situation outside the Senate remained peaceful.
Barbed wires were first installed at the entrance gates of the Senate complex in Pasay City after the building was placed on lockdown on May 11, 2026, following dela Rosa’s appearance at the plenary session after months of absence.
The heightened security measures came after reports of an alleged attempt by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to arrest dela Rosa in connection with an ICC warrant.
