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Marc Jayson Cayabyab - The Philippine Star
May 22, 2026 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Emotions are running high in the Senate a week after the May 13 gunfire incident, as minority bloc senators denied Sen. Pia Cayetano’s allegation they did not check on the majority senators locked down in the Senate that chaotic night.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson did not mince words in bristling at Cayetano’s emotional outburst during the Wednesday session, that the minority senators did not even check on their majority colleagues as gunshots rang out.
“Quote of the day: ‘No one bothered to check in on us!’ How can you check on those who were happily eating, having coffee and doing FB Live just to accuse the minority bloc of having knowledge about the gunshots in the Senate?” Lacson posted in Filipino on X.
It was a pointed jab at his colleagues, who went on Facebook Live over dinner while media were on the frontlines covering what was perceived as a shootout with the National Bureau of Investigation agents, but was eventually ruled out as gunfire initiated by suspended Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca on retreating NBI agents.
Lacson also defended Sen. Risa Hontiveros’ privilege speech criticizing the leadership of Pia’s brother Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano for moving on from the incident by not discussing it during the plenary session.
The Senate President has asked for “prudence” from his colleagues during the Wednesday session, saying that the shooting incident will be tackled in the upcoming Monday session as several senators have requested to deliver speeches about the Senate’s security.
“Quote of the day: ‘It’s like nothing happened,’” Lacson said of Hontiveros’ speech that angered Pia Cayetano, who called it an insensitive remark on those in the Senate building that night.
For Lacson, Hontiveros was only reacting to the leadership’s move to brush the incident under the rug. “My two lady colleagues were speaking from different timelines and contexts. Sen Risa challenged the Senate leadership to act quickly and appropriately to investigate the chaotic situation in the Senate that led to last week’s shooting incident and not act as if – ‘It’s like nothing happened,’” Lacson said.
“Sen Pia took offense and turned emotional, calling out the members of the new minority bloc for trivializing the incident as if – ‘It’s like nothing happened.’ Who is fair and who is unfair?” Lacson asked.
Minority senators were also quick to deny Cayetano’s claim that they did not ask how they were while they were holed up in Senate President Cayetano’s office on the second floor, meters from the bridgeway where Aplasca and two other Senate security staff fired several rounds at NBI agents who only fired five as cover and had already retreated.
Sen. Erwin Tulfo confirmed the screenshot of a WhatsApp group making the rounds on social media that the minority had asked them how they were at the height of the incident.
Tulfo said Pia Cayetano – who said she had ill feelings for not getting any regards in their old majority chat group – may not have seen their messages that night.
Pia was a member of the majority bloc then led by Vicente Sotto III before bolting and supporting her brother Alan for the Senate presidency. Sotto’s allies now comprise the minority.
In a separate video of the Wednesday session as posted by GMA reporter Mark Salazar, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian was heard telling Pia “I texted first” in reaction to her claim of being abandoned by her friends in politics.
PNP denies CCTV video spliced
Philippine National Police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. defended their investigators after suspended OSAA chief Aplasca claimed the CCTV footage presented during a press conference in Malacañang on Tuesday “was spliced to support their own narrative.”
Nartatez disputed Aplasca’s statement, saying police investigators meticulously pored over the pieces of evidence gathered in the Senate after the gun-related incident.
The probe showed the incident was not a shootout but a one-sided shooting by Aplasca and two OSAA personnel, with NBI agents only retaliating.
“The integrity of our investigative process is paramount and the footage we presented is authentic, time-stamped and direct from the source, leaving no room for claims of manipulation,” Nartatez said in a statement.
The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group has recommended the filing of criminal complaints against Aplasca and OSAA personnel Joemil Ledesma and Charlie Montilla for violation of Republic Act 11917, or the Private Security Services Industry Act.
Nartatez emphasized that the evidence they obtained speaks for itself about the facts surrounding the shooting at the Senate. Saying the PNP has nothing to hide, Nartatez said their investigators are open to further technical review if needed to preserve public trust in the investigation.
“We remain fully transparent and welcome any objective, expert validation of these files, as our only objective is to present the unvarnished truth of the events that transpired at the Senate,” he said. – Emmanuel Tupas
