Chaos descended on the Senate Wednesday night after more than a dozen gunshots rang out inside the building at around 7:30 p.m., amid reports of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s arrest on an International Criminal Court warrant.

Panic swept through the chamber as lawmakers scrambled to shelter in their offices while heavily armed security forces moved to lock down the complex.

The commotion erupted while senators were gathered in the building just moments after Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca and his troops, clad in bulletproof vests and heavily armed, stormed the second floor of the building’s second wing.

Members of the press are stationed on the same floor. It remains unclear, however, who fired the shots.

Prior to the commotion, the Senate was placed on a total lockdown. Drilling noise also echoed within the Senate’s ground floor.

The Senate compound was also heavily guarded, and armed men were seen on the second floor, where the plenary hall is stationed, following the adjournment.

The ruckus follows speculations that authorities are already enforcing the ICC warrant against Dela Rosa after the Supreme Court did not issue a temporary restraining order sought by his camp to block the ICC’s arrest.

Dela Rosa has been housed in the Senate since Monday, safeguarding him from authorities, while he exhausts legal remedies in the Philippines.

Earlier that same day, Aplasca, who assumed the post this week following his predecessor’s resignation, told reporters that he would not allow any arrests to be made inside the institution, in compliance with the Senate leadership’s directive.

Senate Secretary-General Mark Llandro Mendoza suspected that the operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation stormed the building. He also alleged that they fired the gunshots.

Aside from members of the press, senators and Senate employees were still inside the building when the gunshots rang out. A group of journalists was not able to immediately vacate the building and was locked inside.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla arrived at the Senate around 8:30 p.m. to “secure the senators,” and clarified that he will not arrest Dela Rosa.

No one hurt

Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano went live on Facebook alongside other senators as fears spread across the building.

In the livestream, Cayetano said no injuries had initially been reported despite the unrest.

“So far, there has been no report that anyone got hurt from the gunshots,” he said.

“We are here to secure everyone,” Remulla said, adding that Senator Dela Rosa would not be arrested that night and that authorities would respect the Supreme Court’s decision on the matter.

The incident came amid growing speculation over a possible move against Dela Rosa, a close ally of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Cayetano claimed tensions escalated as senators awaited the articles of impeachment before the situation outside the chamber turned chaotic.

He also alleged that at least four senators had received warnings shortly before the disturbance erupted.

“Four senators got tips 30 minutes ago to leave since something will happen,” Cayetano said.

Senator Bong Go later appealed for calm in a separate livestream, urging Filipinos to “maintain peace” as anxiety mounted inside and outside the Senate compound.

Senator Imee Marcos questioned why gunshots were reportedly fired outside the Senate while lawmakers were holding what she described as a peaceful caucus inside the Senate President’s office.

“This is not normal,” Marcos said.

Former Senate President Tito Sotto, meanwhile, blasted security forces after claiming protesters attacked his vehicle as he attempted to leave the Senate grounds.

Sotto alleged that demonstrators repeatedly struck his vehicle, hurled bottles, and shouted insults despite a large police deployment outside the complex.

The National Bureau of Investigation denied any involvement in the reported gunfire, with NBI Director Melvin Matibag saying no bureau personnel had been deployed inside the Senate after an agreement to stand down.

Philippine National Police chief Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. later arrived at the scene as authorities tightened security around the area.

Representative Leandro Leviste also weighed in on the unrest, claiming on social media that the country was already under “de facto Martial Law.”

As of late Wednesday night, authorities said investigations were ongoing and no casualties had been officially confirmed.

SC order prevails

According to Cayetano, Remulla promised to respect the Supreme Court’s (SC) decision and to allow Senator Dela Rosa and the other respondents to comment first on the temporary restraining order (TRO) regarding the implementation of the warrant of arrest issued by the International Criminal Court.

Further, Cayetano alleged that elements of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) fired the shots. However, Matibag, in a television interview, said they are not there and are currently at the Sequoia Hotel on Timog Avenue, Quezon City, with his men, heeding the agreement with Senator Cayetano for a “stand down.”

No TRO

The Supreme Court did not grant Dela Rosa’s request for a temporary restraining order (TRO).

Instead, in a press briefing, the High Court said it directed the respondents to submit comments on the urgent pleadings filed by Dela Rosa within a non-extendible 72-hour period from receipt.

The SC also required the senator to file his reply within 72 hours after receiving the respondents’ comment, as it tackled consolidated urgent motions filed in the case involving former President Duterte and Senator Dela Rosa.

“The Resolution shall be deemed served on the parties and their counsels and released once uploaded to eCourt PH and upon publication on the SC website,” the briefer stated.

It added that the directive is “without prejudice” to any interim or urgent relief the Court may later issue, including those requested by Dela Rosa, should circumstances warrant immediate judicial action.

“The SC held that this is without prejudice to the Court taking any interim or urgent measures as prayed for by Senator Dela Rosa, should it become necessary.”

In filing an urgent manifestation dated 11 May 2026, Dela Rosa asked the SC to issue a TRO, writ of preliminary injunction, or status quo ante order (SQAO) to prevent his arrest, detention, or transfer without prior judicial authorization, following reports of an ICC arrest warrant linked to its drug war investigation.

DoJ: Surrender legal

The Department of Justice (DoJ) had reaffirmed its position that the government may legally surrender a Filipino citizen to an international tribunal under existing domestic law.

Justice spokesperson Polo Martinez said the DoJ’s earlier interpretation of Republic Act 9851, the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity, remains unchanged despite renewed debate over the country’s possible cooperation with the ICC.

“Same position. Under RA 9851, we may surrender a suspected or arrested person in the Philippines to the appropriate international court or tribunal. The other mode is extradition,” Martinez told reporters. 

The statement comes days after the ICC unsealed an arrest warrant against dela Rosa for alleged crimes against humanity tied to killings during the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign from July 2016 to April 2018. 

The warrant alleges that at least 32 individuals were killed during the period covered by the case.

The DOJ’s stance signals that the Marcos administration continues to leave open the possibility of cooperating with the Hague-based tribunal, even as several petitions questioning such cooperation remain pending before the Supreme Court (SC).

Martinez said the DOJ would still defer to the High Court on the broader constitutional questions surrounding the ICC’s jurisdiction and the Philippine government’s obligations.

The NBI earlier urged Dela Rosa to surrender peacefully following the issuance of an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against him, warning that law enforcers are duty-bound to pursue fugitives who refuse to submit to authorities.

Matibag said Dela Rosa, a former top police official, should understand how law enforcement operates when implementing arrest warrants.

“That is his personal view,” Matibag said in a television interview, referring to Dela Rosa’s refusal to surrender. 

“But he came from law enforcement. We’ve probably heard him tell suspects before to surrender peacefully so there would be no chaos, no chasing, and so they could face the law properly,” he went on. 

Matibag stressed that the ICC warrant must be respected because it came from a “competent court.”

Defuse tension by surrendering

“If he does not surrender, there will always be pursuit operations,” he said. “That is the job of law enforcement — to enforce warrants of arrest. Otherwise, there will be a breakdown of law and order.”

The NBI chief added that surrendering peacefully would prevent further tension and avoid involving more people in the controversy.

NBI agents attempted to serve the ICC warrant on Dela Rosa when he arrived at the Senate on Monday afternoon. However, the senator rushed toward the session hall and was later placed under Senate protective custody.

Matibag clarified that no NBI agents were deployed at the Senate on Wednesday, although Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel remained in the area to maintain order.

He also said the ICC warrant against Dela Rosa remains “live,” although the bureau has temporarily paused efforts to enforce it.

“Right now, the warrant is still active…But temporarily, our direction is not to execute or enforce it,” Matibag said. 

The NBI chief criticized Dela Rosa’s remarks that he had openly passed through checkpoints without hiding despite reports of a possible ICC warrant since last year.

“That sounds like a mockery of law enforcement and law and order. It is not good to promote resistance against law enforcement and the government because police powers are one of the inherent powers of the government,” Matibag said. 

Matibag also defended the actions of NBI agents during Monday’s dramatic chase inside the Senate, saying there had been prior coordination with the Senate Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) before agents entered the premises.

“We could not have entered the Senate grounds without coordination with Senate security,” he said.

Addressing viral videos of the incident, Matibag claimed the people closest to Dela Rosa during the chase were actually members of the senator’s own staff, while NBI agents were still several meters behind.

He denied reports of physical violence during the pursuit, saying CCTV footage only showed a chase and no wrestling or punching.

“What people saw was track and field — just chasing,” he said.

However, Matibag alleged that Dela Rosa himself pushed and tackled one of the female NBI agents involved in the operation.

The NBI chief also defended agents accused of hurting a Senate security personnel member during the commotion that followed.