By Brian Campued
Following the chaos that ensued in the Senate complex, including reports of gunfire, on Wednesday night, the country’s leading law enforcement agencies on Thursday assured that a thorough probe is already being conducted to get to the bottom of the incident.
During a press briefing in Malacañang, both the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) vowed to investigate the matter, while maintaining that there has yet to be an order regarding the potential arrest of Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.
This, after PNP Chief PGen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. and NBI Director Melvin Matibag attended a meeting convened by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., who, earlier, called for calm as authorities worked on determining the actual sequence of events.
Matibag stressed that the President only instructed them to monitor the situation in respect to the Supreme Court’s latest resolution ordering executive officials to comment within 72 hours on Dela Rosa’s motion questioning the validity of the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and for the senator to file his reply within 72 hours from receipt of the respondents’ comment.
“Ang utos po ni Pangulo, through [Justice] Secretary [Fredderick] Vida, eh wala tayong gagawing pag-aresto o anumang pagpasok sa Senado sapagkat nirerespeto natin ang proseso ng Korte Suprema,” he said.
Matibag said NBI agents were deployed to the Senate complex after the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) sought help to secure its compound, which shares a perimeter wall with the Senate building.
On the apprehension of the alleged suspect of the shooting incident, Matibag clarified that the said individual, later identified as alias “Mel Oragon,” was only part of their force multipliers.
“Kasi po sa mga operasyon po namin… meron po talagang tinatawag na force multipliers, yung mga volunteer po, [dahil] kasi sa kakulangan ng tao,” Matibag explained.
Meanwhile, Nartatez said that “not less than 30” shots were fired during the Senate chaos and that bullets came from inside the Senate.
“Sa tingin ko po, not less than 30… because it will be quantified doon sa CCTVs as well as empty shells that are recovered during the SOCO (Scene of the Crime Operatives) operation, as well as yung mga naalis pa. We are fully accounting it,” the PNP Chief said.
He, however, declined to confirm whether there was an actual exchange of gunfire or whether the entire Senate fiasco was “staged.”
“Hindi natin masabi pa if there is an exchange of gunfire. Kapag sinabi mong exchange of gunfire, nagkatutukan and the bullets are geared towards you. So, iyon ang tinitingnan natin… kung staged ba o nagkaputukan na magkasakitan,” the PNP’s top cop said.
Nartatez likewise assured that there will be no special treatment for Dela Rosa amid the issuance of an arrest warrant by the ICC against him for his alleged involvement as an “indirect co-conspirator” in the war on drugs campaign under former President Rodrigo Duterte.
“Wala po tayong special treatment. We implement the law without fear or favor,” he stressed, adding that the PNP is always backed up by law enforcement agencies, particularly the Department of Justice (DOJ), when it comes to implementing warrants of arrest.
The senator, who resurfaced on Monday after six months of absence, reportedly left the Senate premises early Thursday morning. (with reports from Kenneth Paciente / PTV News)
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