Former Senator Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan on Saturday, May 16 refused to conclude that the Senate was under attack during the shooting incident on the night of May 13, urging the public to await the results of the ongoing investigation rather than accept any premature characterization of the event.
Honasan’s remark was in contrast with newly-elected Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano’s assertion that the Senate was “100% under attack.”
“How will you conclude that the Senate was under attack? Hintayin mo na ang imbestigasyon, mas mabuti,” Honasan said in an interview on DZRH News program Special on Saturday.
Honasan, a former soldier who figured prominently in the coup attempts of 1987 and 1989, said the first question that must be answered is why armed individuals were present in the Senate and GSIS premises in the first place—and on whose authority.
The former senator acknowledged that the GSIS premises and the Senate are separate and distinct jurisdictions, and that the presence of an armed group in either space raises serious questions that must be answered through the investigation rather than through media statements.
“May mga tao roon na hindi dapat nandun. Bakit ka nandun? Sino ka? Sino nag-utos sa’yo na pumunta roon?” he said, adding that this question applies to both sides of the confrontation.
Honasan stressed the urgency of completing the investigation quickly, citing the risk that physical evidence degrades over time.
“Kung susundin natin ‘yung regulasyon ng SOCO, habang tumatagal, nasisira ang physical evidence. Nababasa, nauulalan, binubura,” he said, adding that the investigation must be conducted swiftly and thoroughly before evidence is lost.
The former senator drew a direct parallel between the Senate shooting and the military adventurism of the late 1980s, saying the pattern of political crisis followed by armed confrontation and institutional disruption is a repeating cycle in Philippine history.
“The more things change, the more they remain the same,” Honasan said, noting that the country has been repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results for decades.
Honasan said the shooting incident, whatever its cause, has cost the country something far more valuable than the political narratives being built around it—time and focus that should have been devoted to the real problems of ordinary Filipinos.
“Nawalan tayo ng panahon para asikasuhin ‘yung mga tunay na problema ng bayan. Ano ito? Pagkain. Edukasyon. Pananamit. Pabahay. Pagpapagamot, public health,” he said.
Honasan also called on all parties to avoid weaponizing the incident for political purposes, saying the country cannot afford to keep repeating the cycle of crisis, recrimination, and missed opportunity.
“Ang nawawala sa focus natin dahil nabaling tayo dito sa pangyayari sa Senado,” he said, urging both the public and political leaders to redirect their attention to the country’s more pressing and enduring challenges.
Cayetano, in a press conference Thursday, grew visibly angry at reporters who questioned whether the incident constituted an actual attack, saying: “Sorry ha, but I don’t think there’s any question the Senate is under attack, was under attack. All of you, your lives were in danger last night.”
