Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano flatly denied Thursday that the gunfire that erupted inside the Senate compound the previous night was staged to help Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa slip away before an International Criminal Court warrant could be served on him.
“100 percent,” Cayetano told reporters at a press briefing when asked point-blank whether the incident had been orchestrated as a diversion.
He added that none of his colleagues present that evening had any foreknowledge of what was about to unfold. “I can tell you, honest to goodness, none of the senators who were here last night knew that that’s gonna happen, and the shots were fired from both sides,” he said.
The denial came after Israelito Torreon, dela Rosa’s legal counsel, had already pushed back against claims spreading online that the disturbance was manufactured to give the senator a window to escape. Cayetano echoed that position but went further, calling for a joint independent investigation into the incident — a move aligned with a proposal attributed to Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla. “Let’s not jump into conclusions,” the Senate President said.
What is not in dispute is that dela Rosa did leave. Palace press officer Claire Castro confirmed his departure from the Senate premises, citing multiple sources. A separate account from a senator — relayed from a Senate secretariat member — placed his exit at around 2:30 a.m.
The shooting itself occurred Wednesday evening when a group of armed men allegedly attempted to enter the chamber through the second floor. Senate Sergeant-at-Arms personnel intercepted them, and gunshots were subsequently heard from both sides.
Dela Rosa faces an ICC arrest warrant tied to the Duterte administration’s war on drugs. Former President Rodrigo Duterte, who ordered the anti-narcotics campaign at the center of the ICC probe, is currently in detention at the tribunal’s facilities in The Hague, Netherlands. Dela Rosa had returned to public view on Monday after six months out of sight amid speculation surrounding the warrant’s imminent issuance, and had since been placed under Senate protective custody.
