MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday said it has identified the "culprit" in the Senate shooting incident last May 13, 2026 but did not want to "preempt" the ongoing investigation by identifying the perpetrator.
“We have already identified, but I don’t want to preclude ‘yung panel natin (our panel)… As to kung sino ‘yung culprit, ayoko muna i-preempt (As to who the culprit is, I do not want to preempt). As to the type of cases that will be filed, again, I don’t want to preempt my panel,” said Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida in a press conference.
Vida likewise noted that they have pinpointed personalities who might have given the order to then Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca to fire the “warning shots.” Vida said both the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation submitted their findings, which would be turned over to the DOJ panel of prosecutors.
Vida said the facts that were unearthed were "compelling" but "we still need to verify and validate."
"The DOJ will not take it as is. We will check on the timelines, we will check on the source of the videos. Sa dulo nito, kailangan ‘yung katotohanan lang (At the end of it, what we will need is the truth),” he said.
