NBI driver did not fire gun in Senate shooting, Matibag says

The driver linked to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) team involved in the recent shooting incident near the Senate complex did not fire a gun during the incident, NBI director Melvin Matibag said Tuesday.

In an ambush interview, Matibag clarified that the arrested individual was merely a driver assigned to NBI agent Rick Espino and served as a “force multiplier or volunteer asset of the bureau."

“He was the one who drove the NBI team going to GSIS,” Matibag said.

According to Matibag, videos from body cameras and footage taken by members of the media showed the NBI driver on the fifth floor of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) building without any firearm in his possession during the shooting incident on the second floor of the Senate building.

The Senate is occupying a rented space in the GSIS complex. The Senate and GSIS buildings share an access point on the second floor.

“Wala siyang hawak na baril. Vest ang hawak niya at saka radyo,” he said.

(He wasn't holding a gun. He was holding a vest and a radio.)

Paraffin test

After the shooting incident, Matibag said the NBI driver went down to the second floor of the Senate building to retrieve a bag left behind by a companion.

But before he could reach the bag near the GSIS canteen, he was apprehended by authorities and brought inside the Senate premises where he was ordered to lie face down on the floor.

The NBI chief said this may explain why the driver tested positive for gunpowder residue in a paraffin test.

Matibag explained that gunpowder residue may be transferred through contact with contaminated surfaces or areas where firearms have recently been discharged.

The driver was charged before the Pasay City Prosecutor’s Office but was released after posting bail on Monday.

Matibag said a .40 caliber and a 5.56 caliber, which he identified as standard-issue weapons of the NBI, were recovered by authorities.

“Hindi M16,” he added.

(Not an M16.)

NBI agents

The firearm used by the NBI agent who fired shots in the GSIS building has been turned over to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) for ballistic examination.

Matibag maintained that there was no NBI agent in the building but only in the GSIS building, where the shooting incident actually happened.

The NBI chief said the Office of the Ombudsman has created a panel to investigate the incident. The NBI has submitted its initial findings but may still provide additional reports as the investigation progresses.

The NBI driver was arrested after multiple gunshots were heard inside the Senate complex last Wednesday night.

The suspect, identified only by the alias “Mel Oragon,” was described in a police report as a 44-year-old Filipino male employed as an NBI driver.

Malacañang earlier said Senate Sergeant-at-Arms and retired Police Major General Mao Aplasca fired the first warning shot during the incident.

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said personnel from the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms fired 27 shots, while an NBI agent fired five shots.

Aplasca, for his part, said Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms personnel first issued a verbal warning before shots were fired. —VAL, GMA News