A tense Wednesday night at the Philippine Senate in Pasay City turned dangerous when gunshots were reported inside the legislative building at around 7:46 p.m. on May 13, 2026 — the same evening that Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa remained holed up within the compound, refusing to submit to an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant accusing him of crimes against humanity. Despite the alarming scenes, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla confirmed that no one was killed, wounded, or struck by any bullet during the incident.
Journalists on the ground who witnessed the events firsthand reported hearing more than ten gunshots echo through the building. As of late that night, however, neither the number of armed individuals involved nor their identities or group affiliation had been established. Remulla urged restraint in drawing conclusions, stressing that a thorough review of closed-circuit television recordings must first be completed before any determination could be made.
Senate Security Personnel Confronted Armed Men on Second Floor
Secretary Remulla, who arrived at the Senate compound at approximately 8:30 p.m. together with senior Philippine National Police (PNP) officials, provided a timeline of events based on an official account. According to that chronology, armed individuals attempted to gain access to the second floor of the Senate building shortly before 7:46 p.m. Personnel from the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) intercepted the intruders and discharged the first warning shot to halt their advance.
The armed men subsequently turned back. As they withdrew, they fired additional shots into the air before disappearing from the area. Remulla stated that no confirmed count of the intruders had been established and that no suspects had been formally named or detained as of that evening.
“There are no casualties. None. No one was hit, no one was wounded, no one was killed,” Remulla said in remarks delivered at the scene.
NBI Distances Itself From the Incident
National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag flatly rejected any suggestion that his agents were responsible for the gunfire. Matibag said no order had been issued to arrest Dela Rosa on the night of May 13 and insisted that NBI personnel were not present inside the building during the shooting. Speaking in Filipino, he said: “Walang baril ang mga tao ko. Hindi kami pumunta doon.” — meaning, “My people had no guns. We did not go there.”
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. also weighed in on the incident, issuing a categorical denial of any government role in the shooting. Marcos disclosed that he had earlier directed the NBI to stand down following a related Supreme Court resolution and asked the public to remain composed, using the words “Kalma lang po.” The President did not rule out the possibility that the shooting was part of a broader effort to destabilize the government, though he declined to point to any specific party as the orchestrator.
Senate Officials Float Diversion Theory
Senate Secretary Mark Mendoza offered reporters a different reading of events, suggesting that the gunfire may have been deliberately staged as a diversion amid the politically explosive atmosphere surrounding Dela Rosa’s refusal to be arrested. This theory, Mendoza indicated, deserves serious consideration given the circumstances.
Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, who was inside the building when the shooting broke out and addressed the public through a Facebook livestream, described the Senate as being “allegedly under attack.” He admitted that in the immediate confusion, he was uncertain what was happening or whether he could guarantee the safety of those inside. Cayetano later pledged that the Senate would carry out an “objective, smart” investigation into the incident.
High Court Declined to Block ICC Warrant Earlier That Day
The crisis had already been building for hours before the shooting. Earlier on May 13, the Supreme Court refused to grant a temporary restraining order (TRO) that would have paused the execution of the ICC arrest warrant against Dela Rosa. The Court instead directed executive officials and Dela Rosa to submit comments and replies within a strict, non-extendible 72-hour period. Legal analysts noted that an actual ruling on the TRO was not expected before May 22, 2026 at the earliest.
With no TRO in effect, authorities retained the legal standing to execute the international warrant at any point. Legal experts further noted that charges of crimes against humanity — which carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment — are not shielded by the congressional session immunity that protects legislators from arrest on ordinary offenses.
Throughout the evening, riot police and military forces maintained a perimeter around the Senate compound. Reporters were barred from the second floor, and some were also blocked from reaching the fifth floor, where Dela Rosa’s office is located. Building lights were switched off shortly before the gunfire was heard.
Supporters of former President Rodrigo Duterte gathered outside the Senate gates, with some reportedly stopping and checking vehicles as they exited the building, apparently concerned that Dela Rosa might be secretly spirited away from the premises.
ICC Warrant Covers 32 Alleged Killings During Duterte Drug War
The ICC warrant that triggered the standoff was publicly unsealed on Monday, May 11, 2026. According to court records, the warrant — dated November 2025 — charges Dela Rosa with the crime against humanity of murder in connection with the deaths of “no less than 32 persons” between July 2016 and the end of April 2018, the period during which he served as Chief of the Philippine National Police under the Duterte administration.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte is already in ICC custody. He was arrested in March 2025 and is currently detained at The Hague in the Netherlands, awaiting trial on charges stemming from the same period of conduct during his administration’s war on drugs.
Before the shooting broke out, Dela Rosa posted a video appeal on Facebook urging his supporters not to allow another Filipino to be transferred to The Hague. He also stated that he would ultimately abide by whatever final decision the Supreme Court hands down.
Dela Rosa’s Return Triggered Leadership Shake-Up in Senate
Dela Rosa had been absent from the public eye for nearly six months before resurfacing on May 11, 2026 — his last confirmed public appearance having been on November 10, 2025, just days after the ICC warrant was reportedly sealed. His return to the Senate that Monday proved consequential: he cast the deciding 13th vote that removed Senate President Vicente Sotto III from his post and elevated Alan Peter Cayetano to the position. Since then, the Senate has placed Dela Rosa under what it describes as “protective custody” within the compound.
NBI agents had attempted to serve the ICC warrant on Dela Rosa on that same Monday. He evaded them by running through Senate corridors into the plenary hall, where senators allied with him formed a protective circle. Cayetano threatened to cite the NBI agents for contempt over the incident.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has questioned the Senate’s legal authority to place a sitting senator under its own “protective custody” in order to shield him from an international criminal warrant — stating that the chamber holds no such mandate. Legal experts have also raised the possibility that senators who actively participated in preventing Dela Rosa’s arrest could face obstruction-of-justice exposure, though no formal charges had been filed as of publication.
Impeachment Articles Against VP Sara Duterte Also Transmitted That Day
Adding another dimension to an already turbulent political day, the House of Representatives transmitted articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte to the Senate on May 13, according to a report by Philstar. The transmission arrived on the same day as the Senate shooting, deepening the atmosphere of constitutional uncertainty in Manila.
Shooting Probe Underway; Dela Rosa Remains in Senate Compound
As of the close of May 13, 2026, the identities, number, and organizational ties of the armed men who entered the Senate building that evening remained unresolved. Competing theories — a botched arrest attempt, a destabilization effort, or a calculated diversion — continued to circulate, with no definitive account yet established by authorities. Investigations, including a review of CCTV footage ordered by Secretary Remulla, were ongoing. Dela Rosa remained inside the Senate compound, with the ICC warrant still awaiting execution and the Supreme Court’s TRO ruling still days away.
Originally reported by: Wire reports / Philstar
