A Senate resolution is putting a spotlight on the reporters who stayed on the job when gunfire broke out inside the Philippine Senate — a moment that captured the chaos of one of the most extraordinary political crises in recent memory.
Senator Risa Hontiveros introduced Philippine Senate Resolution No. 400, formally commending members of the Senate Media Corps for their conduct during the May 13 shooting incident at the Senate building in Pasay City. The resolution has been adopted.
“Despite being trapped in a building with a potential active shooter, the members of the Senate Media exhibited remarkable personal bravery, prioritizing the public’s right to information over their own immediate safety by continuing to cover the incident as it occurred,” the resolution reads.
It also described the press corps as “an essential pillar of truth, protecting the integrity of our democracy during times of national crisis” — particularly significant, the resolution noted, in an information landscape increasingly compromised by disinformation, covert influence operations, and coordinated inauthentic behavior.
The resolution comes nearly a week after a three-day standoff between law enforcement authorities and Senate leadership over the custody of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa ended in chaos. Dela Rosa had sought refuge inside the Senate premises following the unsealing of an ICC arrest warrant against him for alleged crimes against humanity. On the evening of May 13, gunfire erupted along a second-floor corridor of the Senate building, lasting approximately three minutes and causing widespread panic among Senate staff and members of the media on the scene.
Dela Rosa had backed a leadership coup that installed fellow Duterte ally Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president, amid the looming impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. Cayetano had vowed not to allow Dela Rosa’s arrest within Senate premises.
Journalists ran for cover as shots rang out, yet members of the press continued broadcasting from inside the building in real time. No casualties were reported.
The shooting incident has since been described as “embarrassing” and a “national disgrace” for its unprecedented violence at a democratic institution. Hontiveros’ resolution is the first formal legislative recognition of the journalists who bore witness to it.
