Marcos urges Filipinos to count on gov’t amid Senate gunfire

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. urged the public to remain calm and trust that the government has control over the situation following the chaos at the Senate building on the evening of May 13.

In a public statement posted on his official Facebook page, Marcos said he had been actively monitoring the unrest amid reports of unidentified gunfire following Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s impending arrest.

“Kalma lang po, asahan ninyo po ang gobyerno po ninyo,” the president assured the public in the video.

Marcos also said authorities would begin an investigation to identify those responsible for the gunfire.

“Nais kong ipaalam sa lahat ng ating mga kababayan, itong pangyayari na ito, tayo ay maging kalma lang po, nakausap ko na si Senate President Alan, we agreed to tell the people to calm down and we will get to the bottom of this. Aalamin natin sino ang gumawa nitong gulo na ito,” Marcos added.

He also emphasized that the government was not behind the gunfire reported on the second floor of the Senate building, which caused senators to flee in panic.

According to Marcos, immediately after the incident, he contacted Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), but both denied any involvement in the gunfire.

“Tapos ang sunod kong tawag naman sa NBI, ang tinanong ko sa NBI, ‘Kayo ba ay pumasok sa Senado?’ Sabi sa akin, ‘Wala kaming instructions, sir. Bakit naman namin gagawin iyon?’” Marcos explained.

The president also clarified that the uniformed personnel seen at the scene were members of the Philippine National Police (PNP), who were tasked with maintaining order within the Senate building premises.

The incident comes amid the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) reported issuance of a warrant of arrest against dela Rosa over his alleged involvement in the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.