Ex-Rep. Benaldo says shooting was 'pure accident'

Breaking his silence on what happened on June 27, former Cagayan de Oro Rep. Benjo Benaldo said the shooting incident that almost killed him was "pure accident."

"Let me state for the record that what happened in my office in the House of Representatives... which very nearly took my life was a pure accident," Benaldo said in a statement Monday following his discharge from St. Luke's Medical Center in Quezon City.

The former lawmaker was rushed to the hospital after he was found bleeding from a gunshot wound on the chest at the South Lobby of the Batasan Pambansa.

Police initially ruled out the possibility of foul play in the incident, as Benaldo was alone in his office at the time of the shooting.

House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. earlier said Benaldo may have attempted suicide after losing his re-election bid. The police, however, did not find a suicide note.

Daiana Menezes

In his statement, Benaldo said his wife, Brazilian model and TV personality Daiana Menezes, "had nothing to do with the accident."

"I understand that there had been speculations in some sectors that the cause of the near fatal incident... was the much publicized misunderstanding between me and my celebrity wife. Let me say that Daiana had nothing to do with the accident. She was not in my office at the time," he said.

Days before the incident, Menezes posted on social networking sites messages and pictures depicting domestic violence, leading to speculations that she was a victim of domestic abuse. She denied being such.

The police had earlier said Benaldo may face possible charges of alarm and scandal for carrying the 9-mm handgun found in his office. The license of the gun was also reported to have expired March last year.

The House of Representatives has tightened its security following the incident. — Marc Jayson Cayabyab/KBK, GMA News