Allegations surfaced that the Senate shooting incident was staged
Several speculations surfaced following the controversial Senate shooting incident, but staff asserted that it was not “scripted.”
On May 13, gunshots were heard inside the Senate. This was in line with the warrant of arrest released by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Sen. Bato dela Rosa, who surprised everyone with his sudden appearance after being absent since November 2025.
Dela Rosa’s absence was prompted by reports that the ICC had already released an arrest warrant. However, to vote for Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano to be the new Senate President, Dela Rosa ended his hiatus.
With what happened, critics expressed that the Senate shooting incident was staged to help Sen. Bato dela Rosa leave the building.
Based on the report from Abante News, some employees have also broken their silence and insisted that the shooting incident at the Senate building last week was not ‘scripted’.
According to Senate staff, they said that strong evidence that the chaos that occurred in the Senate is real is the photos, videos, and group chats with timestamps before, during, and after the incident.
They said that the photos, videos, and group chat conversations with timestamps that emerged are proof that the members of the new majority did not know the chaos that occurred.
The employees, who asked not to be named, also said that the photos showing the senators having fun and eating were taken before the shooting incident, which was contrary to claims that said they were taken after the shooting incident.
After hearing the gunshots, some senators were immediately worried and concerned, especially since they were located very close to the scene of the incident, as employees shared. Some even went live and asked for help in the midst of the chaos.
“Sa tingin n’yo ba papayag din ang media na maipit sila sa ganoong sitwasyon, na magpapagamit sila sa sinasabi ng ilan na script? Maliwanagan sana ang isip ninyo,” the Senate staff said.
The chat record also revealed that Sen. Camille Villar had previously messaged that they were in good condition before the other senators issued a message.
For those supporting the new majority, under Cayetano, the ‘timestamped’ evidence is the clear basis that it was not “scripted” or planned.
