PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered authorities to conduct an impartial investigation into Wednesday’s shooting incident at the Senate, amid claims that the chaos was staged to facilitate the escape of Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag said Marcos issued the directives to top security and law enforcement officials during a meeting in Malacañang on Thursday morning.
“We reported to the president the events of the shooting incident yesterday,” Matibag said during a press briefing in Malacañang. “He ordered us to ensure that the investigation will be truthful and fair to find out who had lapses and who should be held responsible.” Asked if there were views that the commotion may have been “staged” to let Dela Rosa slip out of the Senate, “I’ll be very honest, that’s the sentiment of our NBI agents.” “This is part of the ongoing investigation. We’d rather not draw a conclusion in an ongoing investigation,” the NBI chief said.
“We will review the footage and use our forensic capabilities to find out what happened,” he added.
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said investigators were still determining whether there was an actual exchange of gunfire or if the shots fired were only warning shots.
“We cannot for now say if there was indeed an exchange of gunfire,” Nartatez said during the same Palace press briefing.
“When you say exchange of gunfire, the gun and the trajectory of the bullet is aimed toward you. So, we’re looking if it is staged or there’s intent to hurt someone,” he added.
Nartatez said the president did not impose a deadline but instructed authorities to mobilize all available resources to immediately resolve the incident amid competing narratives.
Marcos on Wednesday denied that the government had a hand in the chaos that gripped the Senate on Wednesday night when Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano claimed that the institution was “under attack.”
Matibag said that since Dela Rosa has been in the protective custody of the Senate, the chamber has the responsibility to surrender the senator when his presence is requested.
He said the NBI suspended operations to arrest Dela Rosa after the Senate placed him in protective custody and out of respect for the senator’s petition before the Supreme Court.
Matibag noted that while the Court did not issue a temporary restraining order, it asked the parties concerned to comment, so the NBI decided to respect the process by waiting for the conclusion of the legal issue.
“The order from the Supreme Court for concerned parties to respond in 72 hours, so we believe that it is just a short period of time, so we decided to just wait for the decision, for the direction that our court will go on this matter,” he said.
Dela Rosa went into hiding in November 2025 following reports of an ICC warrant against him. He emerged at the Senate on Monday shortly before his allies installed Cayetano as the new Senate leader and ahead of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment by the House.
Staged? The PNP said they are looking at all angles in the Senate shooting including the possibility that it could have been staged.
“We are not saying whether the incident was staged or not but the investigation will be complete within the day,” Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuaño, public information chief, said in Filipino during a press briefing at Camp Crame.
Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV earlier said the shoot-out was an orchestrated plan of longtime allies Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano and Dela Rosa, according to his sources.
Earlier, the PNP said a suspect caught with live ammunition was arrested Wednesday night and gave credence to the belief that the attack was real.
“We have already learned of that theory, but we can see that there was someone who was arrested and is facing charges, so that theory is unlikely,” Tuaño said.
Cayetano on Thursday denounced claims that the shooting was staged.
“I don’t think there’s any question, the Senate was under attack. All of you, your lives were in danger last night. I know it’s your job to ask questions, but you will tell me, if a warning shot is fired, that’s not being under attack?” Cayetano said in English and Filipino.
NBI denial
The NBI confirmed that a small number of its agents were deployed to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) Building in Pasay City on Wednesday upon the request of GSIS President and General Manager Jose Arnulfo Veloso to help secure the premises amid tensions in the area.
Matibag said Veloso sought assistance from the bureau to ensure the safety of GSIS personnel and property amid concerns that the situation could escalate.
“There was even a letter sent to us asking for assistance in securing the area because he (Veloso) said tensions might escalate. He wanted to make sure that the premises and GSIS personnel were secure,” he added.
Matibag made the clarification while denying allegations that NBI agents had been deployed inside the Senate complex during the lockdown.
“We did not deploy any agents to the Senate, and it would have been impossible for anyone to get inside because the area was locked down,” he said.
The NBI chief said the Senate complex was heavily guarded by security personnel, including guards and reportedly members of the Philippine Marines, making it unlikely that NBI agents could have entered unnoticed.
He also said he and other senior NBI officials were attending a whole-day planning session at a hotel during the incident.
“We had a planning session the entire day,” Matibag said, adding that all officials present at the meeting could account for their whereabouts.
