‘He who has the means, opportunity and motive is the most probable suspect,’ says former PNP chief Ping Lacson on Senate shooting

Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, a former chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), invoked a classic criminal investigation framework in weighing in on the shooting incident inside the Senate building on Wednesday night, May 13, pointing investigators toward whoever had the means, opportunity, and motive to carry out the attack.

“He who has the MEANS, OPPORTUNITY and MOTIVE is the most probable suspect,” Lacson said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday morning, May 14.

The veteran senator said chaos erupted inside the Senate building as guns were fired, but confirmed that his staff came out of the incident unharmed. “Checked my staff, they’re all safe. Thank God no reports of casualties or injuries,” he said in a separate post on Wednesday night.

Lacson said the immediate priority following the incident is a thorough investigation to establish the key facts surrounding the shooting. “Next thing to do is investigate to find out who fired his/their gun/s, at whom and most importantly, the motive,” he said.

The shooting occurred as the Senate remained on lockdown, with Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa under the protective custody of the chamber amid the enforcement of an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against him.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) earlier cleared its Marines of firing the shots, with AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. saying it was the Senate Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms personnel who discharged their firearms.

The Southern Police District (SPD) has since identified Mel Oragon, 44, a driver allegedly employed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), as the suspect in the shooting. Oragon has undergone a paraffin examination, with authorities continuing to investigate the motive behind the incident.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in a public address Wednesday night, also raised the possibility that the incident may have been a deliberate destabilization attempt.

“Aalamin natin kung sino ang gumawa nitong gulo na ito. Ito ba ay talagang nagka-engkuwentro lang, o ito ba ay may kasama sa mga destab o nagsisimula ng gulo?” Marcos said.