Armed men attempted to enter Senate building prior to shooting - DILG chief

Armed men allegedly tried to enter the Senate building through its second floor, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said on Wednesday after a two-hour tense situation at the upper chamber.

In an interview with reporters, Remulla said personnel from the Senate’s Office of the Sergeant-At-Arms (OSAA) fired a warning shot at the armed men.

“At approximately, 7:46 (p.m.), armed men tried to enter through the second floor but were stopped by the OSAA. They had firearms with them, but the OSAA fired a warning shot,” he said.

“They retreated at the back and then started firing indiscriminately into the air. Now, we do not have a definite count of how many people tried to enter the building,” Remulla added.

The Interior Secretary said they are still investigating the identities of those who fired the shots.

“We still have to determine through CCTV footage kung ilan talaga sila (as to how many there really are),” he said.

Gunshots rang out at the Senate amid an ongoing lockdown at the upper chamber, where Dela Rosa is under protective custody.

The tension at the Senate developed after the Supreme Court (SC) did not issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) sought by Dela Rosa, who is facing an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Remulla said they are still determining the persons behind the incident.

“We are in the process of determining who is behind this,” he said.

“We have instructed the GSIS, the Senate building, the Senate staff to secure all the CCTVs. Our mission here, the President sent me here, number one is to secure the senators. There’s no politics at this time,” Remulla added.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) raised its status to full alert amid the tensions at the Senate premises on Wednesday evening.

On the other hand, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said military personnel seen inside the Senate building are Marine Security & Escort Group (MSEG) personnel. — JMA, GMA News