Metro Manila, Philippines – Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Tuesday said all evidence gathered by investigators showed that the Senate was not under attack during the May 13 gunfire incident inside the Senate, contradicting earlier assertions made by Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano.
During a Palace briefing, Remulla said the findings came after six days of investigation conducted by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), which included the review of videos, interviews, and affidavits related to the incident.
“For the record, all evidence points that there was no attack on the Senate,” said Remulla.
Based on the CIDG timeline, at 7:45 p.m., gunshots were reported inside the Senate premises.
Remulla said that no National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents entered the Senate building itself, saying the agents were stationed at the nearby GSIS compound.
Remulla’s statement directly contradicted Cayetano’s earlier remarks on May 14, insisting that the Senate was under attack.
“Sorry ha, but I don’t think there is any question, the Senate is under attack. Was under attack,” said Cayetano.
Philippine National Police chief Melencio Nartatez turned over the CIDG report to Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida during the press briefing.
A panel of prosecutors from the Department of Justice will evaluate the findings and determine possible charges.
Vida assured that they would still independently verify the evidence submitted by investigators.
“Compelling yung facts that have been unearthed but we still need to verify and validate — the DOJ will not take this as is,” Vida said.
“We will check on the timelines, we will check on the source of the videos and everything,” he added.
