Philippine National Police investigators are examining the possibility that Wednesday night’s reported shooting incident at the Senate was deliberately fabricated, according to PNP spokesperson Police Brigadier General Randulf Tuaño.
“Hindi po natin sinasabi na stage o hindi yung nasabi pong pangyayari…Kasama po lahat ng angulo na matatanggap po ng PNP,” Tuaño said.
One of the specific questions being raised internally comes from the PNP’s Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management, which found the bullet trajectories suspiciously elevated. Tuaño relayed the concern: “Sinasabi nga natin tinitingnan natin yung mga katanungan ng taga-DIDM na bakit mataas, yung mga trajectory ng bala.”
Forensic results will ultimately determine what happened, he added. “Ang makakasagot lang po niyan yung forensic. Malalaman natin iyan sa forensic report kung ito po ay nanggaling sa loob o sa labas,” Tuaño said.
A driver employed by the National Bureau of Investigation was arrested in connection with the incident, police confirmed Thursday, as reported by GMA News. This came despite NBI director Melvin Matibag stating earlier that no NBI agents had been assigned to the Senate at the time.
All individuals present during the incident — including security personnel — were ordered to submit to paraffin testing. Police deployment around the Senate compound was also expanded sharply, from 400 to 1,400 officers, following the shooting.
The Senate’s Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms said its personnel fired back only after shots were first heard. The incident unfolded against the backdrop of a looming International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Senator Ronald dela Rosa, issued in relation to the drug war carried out under the Duterte administration.
By early Thursday morning, Dela Rosa was no longer on the Senate premises. According to a fellow senator, a member of the Senate secretariat confirmed that Dela Rosa departed at around 2:30 a.m.
