President Marcos orders investigation on shooting incident at the Senate

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered an investigation into a shooting incident at the Senate building, where a fugitive senator holed up to evade arrest by an international tribunal.

Screenshot of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s video statement on the shooting incident at the Senate building.

Manuel Mogato | May 14, 2026

MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered an investigation into a shooting incident at the Senate building, where a fugitive senator holed up to evade arrest by an international tribunal.

In a video message, Marcos instructed the interior secretary to work closely with the Senate leaders to get to the bottom of the incident.

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, who rushed to the Senate building, said armed men tried to break into the building but were blocked by the Senate security staff led by a retired police general and a classmate of fugitive Senator Ronald Dela Rosa.

Remulla said the Senate security staff fired a warning shot but '“the armed men fired back.”

Marcos said he has not ordered law enforcement agencies and the military to assault the Senate building and arrest Senator dela Rosa.

Dela Rosa had sought sanctuary in the Senate hall after the International Criminal Court made public three days ago an arrest warrant for crimes against humanity.

Dela Rosa served as the national police chief that carried out Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs that killed thousands from 2011 to 2019.

Duterte was arrested last year and detained at The Hague and will face trial late this year.

While the senators were in a meeting, waiting for the House of Representatives to transmit the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte, gunfire erupted at the second level of the six-story Senate building.

The Senate security backed by a handful of Marines and police officers fired at a group of armed men attempting to break into the Senate building.

No one was hurt in the brief gunfire with an unknown gunmen.

The gunmen disappeared but some senators speculated they were members of the National Bureau of Investigation.

Melvin Matibag, the NBI director, denied that he sent agents at the Senate.