By Brian Campued
“All evidence points that there was no attack on the Senate.”
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Tuesday stood firm that “there was no attack” on the Senate based on the pieces of evidence authorities have collected following six days of investigation on the gun-related incident last week.
In a press briefing in Malacañang, Remulla, however, did not conclude whether the May 13 Senate fiasco was staged.
He maintained that there were no agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) who set foot inside the Senate building, which is housed inside the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) complex, reiterating that GSIS President and General Manager Wick Veloso had sought NBI’s help to secure its premises.
“So when [NBI Director Melvin Matibag] said that there was no NBI agent in the Senate, there was none. They never set foot inside the building,” Remulla said.
“The only conclusion is that there was no attack [on] the Senate,” he added.
Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief PGen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. likewise noted that NBI agents arrived at the GSIS building in the afternoon of May 13 to “fortify” the agency’s security.
Shedding light on the alleged drilling noises heard at the Senate prior to the gun-related incident, Nartatez said that the sound came from the GSIS’ ground floor, where a steel door was being “fortified.”
Remulla said the GSIS was concerned of a potential anarchy outside the complex due to the rallyists gathering outside the Senate, noting that billion-peso worth of artworks displayed on GSIS’ walls could be damaged “had there been an overflow of people going to GSIS.”
“They had duly informed the maintenance of the Senate that there was gonna be drill work going on in all the doors of the GSIS connecting to Senate,” he said.
Remulla also stressed that “none of the NBI agents had tactical gear with them,” nor a battering ram or any provisions “to breach any door.”
He also clarified that the NBI driver arrested following the incident was not armed and was only instructed to retrieve a tactical bag left by an NBI agent guarding a door during the commotion.
Based on the timeline of events presented during the briefing, it was around 7:44 p.m. when suspended Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca assembled the PNP–Police Security and Protection Group, Marines Security, and the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) personnel and “gave the order to lock and load.”
“In his order, you can see the Marines were cocking their guns… after which he proceeded to the hallway leading to the doorway where the NBI were previously,” Remulla said.
Following the incident, at least 44 cartridges were retrieved at the scene by the PNP Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO), with Nartatez confirming that bullets were discharged from four firearms.
However, Aplasca did not appear before the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) when asked to surrender his firearm for the probe.
The PNP Chief likewise said that “there’s no bullet hole going inside the Senate” and that Marines and police officers did not fire shots during the alleged shootout.
Meanwhile, Nartatez turned over the PNP’s records of investigation, including the events prior to the gun-related incident up to the subsequent exit of Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa from the Senate, to Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Fredderick Vida.
Vida assured that their panel of prosecutors will carefully verify, validate, and evaluate all evidence to ensure accountability.
“The DOJ will not take this as is. We will check the timelines, we will check the source of the videos, and everything kasi sa dulo nito, kailangan katotohanan lang,” Vida said.
“As to kung sino ang culprit, ayoko muna i-preempt. As to the type of cases that will be filed, again, I do not want to preempt my panel,” the DOJ chief said.
-av
