Minority bloc to raise questions on shooting before Senate on Monday —Erwin Tulfo

Senator Erwin Tulfo said the minority bloc will raise several questions as soon as the Senate opens its session on Monday regarding the alleged shooting incident that occurred in the Senate premises last week.

“What happened needs to be investigated. (The Senate) is an institution. Ang tagal na ng Senado tapos ganoon na lamang. Whatever it is, kung may lumusob, nagpaputok sa loob, was it staged, e dapat hindi. Baka may precedent iyan next time so kailangan talaga may investigation para malinaw,” Tulfo said during an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.

“The majority was saying no it wasn't staged, we were under attack. Ang sabi naman ng ilang quarters it was staged. Ang sabi ng NBI no hindi kami lumusob. Kailangan siguro maipaliwanag and the people are waiting,” the lawmaker added.

Among the issues set to be tackled are claims by the Office of the Ombudsman that the Senate is refusing to accept the suspension of Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca suspension order and a subpoena to release CCTV footage of the shooting.

“I’ll have to raise that question. Pag usapan ng minority sa umaga. Kung hindi man I’ll have to raise that question. Nakakahiya naman na may mga subpoena, meron tayong investigation na ongoing tapos ayaw natin makipag cooperate. It’s really a bad example as an institution hindi tayo sumasang ayon sa imbestigasyon sa Ombudsman. Kailangan nating sumunod,” Tulfo said.

The solon said the CCTV footage needs to be turned over and allow the investigation proceed.

‘Yung CCTV kailangan i-turn over pero sinasabi nasa pulis na daw. They have to explain to the Ombudsman they could request the CCTV footage from the PNP. You have to let the investigation go on. Parang you’re hiding something if you’re going to stop the Ombudsman,” he said.

"I will raise that issue on Monday pag open ng session namin. I will definitely stand up and manifest we have to follow rules. We are not above the law," Tulfo assured.

Senate and the media

The senator said he has questions of his own regarding the incident.

“If we were under attack walang karespetuhan iyan (that is disrespectful) And if is was staged huwag nating gawing playground ang Senado (let us not turn the Senate into a playground),” Tulfo said.

He said journalists covering the Senate could have helped as to whether the Senate was under attack as claimed by Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano.

“Dapat hindi pero hindi ko makita ‘yung logic (It should not have been an attack, I don't see the logic). Kung pinayagan lang ng (Office of the Sergeant-At-Arms) ang media to do their job (If the OSAA allowed media)– the Senate media is the press corps of the Senate– dapat huwag mong pipigilan kasi ‘yun yung katulad na wala daw CCTV, the video of the media will speak for itself. If I were OSAA I would have left them do their jobs,” he pointed out.

Before the alleged shootout, Aplasca was recorded by media members putting on body armor and he and his men preparing their firearms. He then said they were going to apprehend an unspecified individual.

“Someone told me the media were told to leave the area before the attack because someone was being arrested,” Tulfo added.

“If may huhulihin all the more dapat may media ‘di ba para safe kayo? Ngayon nag aagam agam ang tao. Parang ‘shoot me’. So nagkakaroon ng malaking question.”

(If they were arresting someone media should have been informed to secure their safety. Now people are doubting and anxious. It's like a 'shoot me' situation. So there are big questions.)

Tulfo also questioned the number of shots that were fired and how the “shootout” transpired.

“How come ang daming basyo (many spent bullet casings) sa Senate side… bakit umabot ng 27 rounds kung iyun ay warning shot. Sana ginawa ng (Scene of the Crime Office) pumasok sa kabila kung nagpaputok yung kabila. Sinasabi nila doon papasok e wala naman. Puro evidence ko na nakita puro nasa Senate e wala ‘yung sa kabila sa GSIS. Sana pumunta din yung SOCO para makita if nagpaputok ‘yung nasa kabila,” he asked.

Tulfo said the minority bloc has “a lot of questions that need answers”.

“Siguro si (Senate President Alan Peter) Cayetano lang makakasagot sa Monday. Bakit hindi tayo nakikipag cooperate? Andaming katanungan,” he said.

(Perhaps Senate President Cayetano is the only person who can answer this on Monday. Why is the Senate not cooperating? There are a lot of questions.)

Shooutout

“Nagtataka paarang confined lang sa isang lugar. I was a journalist for a while. Kapag bakbakan, an exchange of fire, talagang matagal iyun. 27 rounds, sa kabila wala ka naman marinig naman. Hindi ko maintindihan. Kailangan may imbestigasyon. May imbestigasyon ang DILG. May tiwala naman ako kay Sec. Jonvic (Remulla). Dapat ang Senate meron din daw. So let’s just wait kung pareho silang may parallel investigation,” Tulfo said.

(It's curious why it happened in such a confined space... In a firefight... it takes a a long time. 27 shots were fired on our side but nothing can be hired from the opposite end. I don't understand. There needs to be an investigation. DILG is said to be conducting one. I trust Secretary Remulla. The Senate should too it's been said.)

He also questioned the need for a warning shot.

“Why do you have to do a warning shot? There are rules of engagement in the (Philippine National Police)– ‘pag nanganganib lang ang buhay ng pulis magwa-warning shot siya na huwag kayong lumapit otherwise papapaputukan ko kayo… all of these will be raised on Monday.”

(Only if a policeman's life is in danger should there be a warning shot telling someone not to get closer otherwise I will shoot you.)

As for the National Bureau of Investigation, Tulfo said it would have been better if the NBI established better coordination with the Senate that could have avoided a misencounter between friendly forces.

These questions, Tulfo said, would be directed particularly to Cayetano, who was installed as Senate President only a few days before the unprecedented incident. —RF, GMA News