‘The Senate was under attack!’ — Cayetano lashes out at reporters even as DILG data shows OSAA fired 27 shots to NBI’s 5 shots

Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano on Thursday, May 14, forcefully insisted that the Senate was under armed attack Wednesday night, growing visibly angry at reporters who questioned whether the incident constituted an actual attack.

“So 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. So I know it’s your job to ask a question, but you will tell me ‘pagka may nagpaputok na warning, hindi under attack ‘yun?” Cayetano said.

The newly-elected Senate President is standing by his claim even as DILG data showed that the bulk of the shots fired during the incident came from the Senate’s own security force—27 rounds from the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms against only 5 from the NBI side.

Cayetano read out a text message from DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla giving the most detailed official account of the shooting yet—one that showed the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms fired 27 rounds, while an NBI agent discharged only 5.

According to Remulla’s account, the NBI agent was seated on the second-floor bridgeway of the GSIS building with a guard when he was confronted by OSAA head Aplasca.

“Agent Francisco was sitting down on the second floor bridgeway with a white guard when his attention was called by OSAA Aplasca. ‘Sino ka?’ sabi ni Aplasca. Francisco stood up with an AR-15 at the sideway sling. Aplasca fired a warning shot. Francisco pulled the trigger as well,” said text read by Cayetano.

Cayetano defended the OSAA’s action, saying verbal warnings were issued before any shots were fired, and that the OSAA only discharged their weapons when the other side refused to stand down.

“OSAA nag-verbal warning. Hindi tumigil ‘yung kabilang side from trying to get into the Senate, so nagpaputok sila in the air. Ang problema, nagpaputok pabalik,” he said.

Cayetano’s account, however, stands in contrast to the Palace’s earlier clarification.

Malacañang Press Undersecretary Claire Castro had said Thursday morning that it was Aplasca who fired the first warning shot—after OSAA spotted NBI agents on the GSIS side of the complex and Aplasca fired upon them identifying themselves as NBI.

Castro also categorically stated: “walang assault na ginawa ang NBI agents sa Senado.” She also stressed that no NBI or PNP operation was launched to arrest dela Rosa.

NBI Director Melvin Matibag, for his part, maintained that his agents had no instruction to arrest dela Rosa and were at the GSIS premises solely in response to a written request from GSIS General Manager Wick Veloso to secure the facility.

“Wala naman. Gaya po ng sinabi ko sa aking mga pahayag doon pa man, wala pong instruction na arestuhin,” Matibag said during the Malacañang press briefing earlier Thursday.

Cayetano also raised a separate accountability issue, saying the NBI has still not formally submitted a copy of the ICC arrest warrant to the Senate despite promising to do so since Tuesday.

“Three senators were asking na ibigay na niya sa amin, but he looked at me and said, ‘Sir, pwede bang formal ko na lang i-submit tomorrow?’ That was Tuesday; it’s Thursday, we still don’t have it,” Cayetano said, adding that the NBI has also failed to submit a report on the alleged manhandling of an OSAA member during the incident.

Cayetano closed with a pointed warning about the sanctity of democratic institutions, drawing a red line around the Senate as an inviolable space.

“You don’t attack Malacañang. You can march, you can protest. You don’t burn down the Supreme Court, and you don’t attack the Senate in an armed manner,” he said, adding that the first casualty of the collapse of democracy would be the media.