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Evelyn Macairan - The Philippine Star
May 27, 2026 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Amid its probe into the May 13 shooting incident, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has directed the Senate to submit a list of firearms issued to the chamber.
A security log recording the time, date and names of people who entered and exited Senate premises has been requested, Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida said yesterday.
Records related to the inventory of firearms owned by the Senate must be provided by the Commission on Audit and police Firearms and Explosives Office (FEO).
A special panel of prosecutors that issued the subpoena is interested in the owner of a Scorpion firearm seen in video footage.
Of the 36 bullet casings retrieved at the Senate, 26 were from a 9mm CZ Scorpion Evo 3 reportedly fired by suspended Senate sergeant-at-arms Mao Aplasca, based on a report by the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.
Prosecutors “issued a subpoena to the Office of the Senate Secretary directing the production of documents relevant to the ongoing fact-finding investigation, particularly, we have asked for the oath of office of retired Gen. Aplasca,” Vida said.
Concealing and tampering with evidence and witnesses, misleading authorities and delaying legal processes are considered obstruction of justice, he said.
Public officials and employees found guilty of committing these acts, covered under Presidential Decree 1829, will be perpetually disqualified from holding public office, Vida pointed out.
‘Revoke Bato’s gun licenses’
The Philippine National Police has started processing the cancellation of fugitive Sen. Ronald dela Rosa’s firearms licenses after the DOJ ordered the PNP and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to arrest him.
Should Dela Rosa refuse to surrender his firearms, FEO legal officer Lt. Col. Domer Tadeo said his weapons will be subjected to police operation.
Records indicate that Dela Rosa, who has been tagged as “armed and dangerous,” owns 118 licensed firearms registered to an address in Davao City.
The DOJ and NBI have requested the PNP to revoke Dela Rosa’s gun licenses.
Tadeo said the FEO’s license and revocation and restoration board started its motu proprio investigation last week, before the NBI made its request.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has confirmed an arrest warrant for Dela Rosa, one of the “co-perpetrators” in detained former president Rodrigo Duterte’s crimes against humanity case.
Dela Rosa went into hiding after the May 13 incident.
Vida sought the cooperation of Dela Rosa’s lawyer Jimmy Bondoc in locating the fugitive.
“Our legal team does not possess any information as to the whereabouts nor the well-being of our good client,” Bondoc said.
NBI Director Melvin Matibag is confident that authorities are closing in on Dela Rosa.
As for Sen. Robinhood Padilla’s admission of helping Dela Rosa escape, Vida said there is no need to summon him since “he already admitted many things that he has done.”
NBI: Lessons learned
As authorities brace for possible new ICC arrest warrants, Matibag said lessons have been learned after their failed attempt at apprehending Dela Rosa.
“We have seen what happened. There is no such thing as protective custody, so there is no longer any discussion on that,” Matibag told “Storycon” on One News.
“Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano said they would place (Dela Rosa) under protective custody and assured us that he would not run,” he recalled.
More ICC arrest warrants could soon be issued against persons tagged as co-conspirators, Matibag disclosed.
Law enforcers are now guided by the Supreme Court’s non-issuance of a temporary restraining order or status quo ante order concerning ICC-related matters, Matibag asserted.
“We can enforce warrants issued by the ICC,” Matibag said. — Emmanuel Tupas, Mark Ernest Villeza, Helen Flores
