President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. assured the public that no government forces were involved in the reported security incident at the Senate, as authorities move to investigate alleged gunfire and attempted entry inside the complex.
In a late-night statement, Marcos said he had been closely monitoring the situation for over two hours and immediately coordinated with key security officials after reports of gunfire surfaced.
“I am closely monitoring the situation. The first person I called was DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla, and I asked for a report from the police on the ground,” Marcos said.
He added that he also contacted National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag to clarify whether any of their personnel had entered the Senate, which the NBI denied.
The President explained that only legitimate security units are stationed inside the Senate compound, including Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel assigned for crowd control, Philippine Marines assigned for Senate security and honor guard duties, and Office of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) personnel responsible for internal security.
“These are the only uniformed personnel inside the Senate. They are all assigned there,” Marcos said.
He also categorically denied reports suggesting any order to arrest Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.
“There was no instruction from anyone to arrest Senator Bato. That is clear,” he said.
Marcos further clarified that prior coordination had been made following legal and procedural developments earlier in the day, and that security units had already complied with instructions to reposition or withdraw as needed.
He emphasized that authorities are now collecting evidence, including CCTV footage, to determine the identity of individuals behind the incident.
“We will investigate this thoroughly. We will find out who caused this chaos—whether it was an encounter or a deliberate attempt to create disorder,” he said.
The President called on the public to remain calm as joint investigations by the Senate and the PNP continue.
“I spoke with Senate President Alan Cayetano, and we agreed that the priority now is to calm the situation and get to the bottom of this,” Marcos said.
He added that the government had no involvement in the incident and urged the public not to panic as authorities work to establish the facts surrounding the reported breach and gunfire inside the Senate compound.
