The country’s largest lawyers’ organization has sounded the alarm over the gunfire that erupted inside the Philippine Senate on the night of May 13, warning that the volatile convergence of events threatens the foundations of the Republic itself.
The Integrated Bar of the Philippines issued its statement on May 14, calling on the Senate to perform its constitutional duties “fairly and independently” amid the ICC arrest warrant against Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and the ongoing impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte.
The IBP’s intervention came in the immediate aftermath of one of the most chaotic nights in Philippine legislative history. More than a dozen gunshots rang out inside the Senate building on Wednesday evening as police and marines moved in to arrest dela Rosa, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity. Journalists ran for cover as the gunfire erupted, just minutes after soldiers in full combat gear ascended the stairs of the legislative building.
No casualties were reported, though many details of the shooting remained unclear. According to the country’s interior secretary, unidentified armed men attempted to enter the second floor of the Senate but were stopped by a member of the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms, who fired an initial warning shot. The armed men then retreated, firing shots into the air.
Prosecutors at the ICC accuse dela Rosa of conspiring with former President Rodrigo Duterte in crimes against humanity during a brutal anti-drug campaign that killed thousands. The court confirmed on Monday that it had issued an arrest warrant against him, citing incidents in which 32 people were killed between 2016 and 2018.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. denied any government involvement in the shooting. “It was not the government that did this,” Marcos said. “There was no instruction to arrest Senator Bato.” Police have since identified a suspect: a driver working with the National Bureau of Investigation, the agency that had been attempting to carry out the ICC warrant on dela Rosa since Monday. By the following morning, dela Rosa was no longer on the Senate premises.
The IBP warned that the simultaneous pressure of the Senate shooting, the ICC warrant, the impeachment proceedings, and the leadership transition at the upper chamber created conditions ripe for exploitation. The organization specifically cautioned against “any forces exploiting this chaos to manufacture a crisis or provoke a constitutional breakdown for selfish political gain,” and called on the Senate to stand “above factional interests.”
The group also expressed trust in the Supreme Court to exercise judicial review should any action violate the Constitution, describing the High Court as “the final bulwark against overreach and extra-constitutional maneuvers.”
The IBP pledged to continue monitoring and documenting developments and said it would deploy all available legal remedies in defense of the rule of law. It closed its statement with a sharp warning: “Democracy dies when citizens surrender their watchfulness. We will not allow chaos to be weaponized for power.”
Several business and civil society groups issued similar calls on May 14, including the Management Association of the Philippines, the Makati Business Club, and the Federation of Philippine Industries, urging the Senate to convene as an impeachment court for Vice President Duterte and warning that further delays could undermine rule of law, institutional credibility, and investor confidence.
