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Cristina Chi - Philstar.com
May 13, 2026 | 10:25pm
Imee says senators being shot at even if they were not
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa and his Senate allies posted near-simultaneous claims of being "under attack" on Facebook Wednesday night as several gunshots rang out inside the Senate building where he has been hiding from an International Criminal Court arrest warrant.
The source of the gunfire remains unclear. As of 9 p.m., no agency had claimed it, and President Ferdinand Marcos has confirmed to Cayetano that the gunshots did not come from government forces.
No casualties have been reported, according to Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, who arrived at the scene to root out the source of the gunshots.
Dela Rosa posted twice on his official page from inside the building: "The Senate is under attack! Pls help us," and "We are under attack. Cavaliers pls help us," the second addressed to fellow Philippine Military Academy alumni in the security forces.
Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano also went on Facebook Live and said the chamber was "allegedly under attack," among others. In his videos, he can be seen beside Sens. Pia Cayetano and Camille Villar as he waited out the lockdown.
Sen. Imee Marcos pushed out a series of short videos under the tag #IMEEsolusyon and other related hashtags. Some of the captions of her videos read: "SABI NG NBI AGENTS, INUTUSAN SILA NA ARESTUHIN SI BATO KAHIT PA MAY MAMATAY!" and "BINABARIL KAMI!"
There is no indication that the gunshots were directed at any individual.
Sen. Marcos claimed in a separate post, without basis, "Kasalukuyang binabarena na nila ang pader ng Senado [They're drilling into the walls of the Senate]."
This came after drilling noises were reportedly heard near the doors connected to the GSIS parking area.
It is GSIS, the government's insurance system, that owns the building being rented by the Senate for its premises.
Sen. Bong Go also went live from inside the Senate, asking the public to pray for peace there.
Exiting the premises
Senators emerged from the building at 9:30 p.m. with Remulla, who told reporters everyone inside was safe.
Among those who walked out were Cayetano, his sister Sens. Pia Cayetano, Marcos, Rodante Marcoleta, Joel Villanueva, Mark Villar and his sister, Camille Villar — all members of the new Senate majority installed Monday in the leadership coup that triggered the standoff.
Before the senators came out, Cayetano said in another Facebook Live broadcast that President Marcos and Teodoro had assured him government forces were not behind the shooting.
He said majority senators were with him in the same location, and that Dela Rosa remained inside the complex and would soon meet with Remulla.
"Everyone is safe," he said.
Independent confirmation that Dela Rosa was still inside the building had not surfaced as of 9:58 p.m. Only Cayetano said the senator remained within the complex.
The Monday power grab
The standoff began with a leadership coup on Monday that brought Dela Rosa out of hiding for the first time in nearly six months.
Dela Rosa had not appeared at the Senate since Nov. 10, 2025, four days after the ICC issued the sealed warrant against him. He resurfaced Monday morning and cast the deciding 13th vote that unseated Senate President Vicente Sotto III and installed Cayetano in his place.
Joining Dela Rosa in the bloc that flipped the chamber were Sens. Francis Escudero, Jinggoy Estrada, Bong Go, Rodante Marcoleta, Imee Marcos, Robinhood Padilla, and Joel Villanueva — all from the previous minority. Four members of the old majority crossed over as swing votes to give Cayetano the presidency.
Cayetano's first acts in office were to place Dela Rosa under the Senate's protective custody and cite the NBI agents who had tried to arrest him that morning in contempt.
