A wave of concern swept across social media after the reported gunfire incident near the Philippine Senate on Wednesday night, 13 May, prompting several Filipino celebrities to speak out over the country’s escalating political tensions.

The incident unfolded amid developments involving the impeachment proceedings against Sara Duterte and the International Criminal Court case linked to former President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug campaign, where Ronald dela Rosa has also been implicated.

Donny Pangilinan expressed disbelief over the situation after seeing reports online.

“Ang lala. Umabot na tayo dito!” he wrote on Instagram Stories.

Kim Chiu also reacted to the incident, saying the situation could have been avoided if accountability had come earlier.

“Grabe! Anong nangyayari sa Pilipinas?” Chiu posted on X. “Bilang normal na Pilipino at nagbabayad ng tamang buwis, sa aking opinyon, walang mangyayaring ganito kung kusang susuko ang taong nagsasabing wala siyang kasalanan.”

She also urged Filipinos to be more discerning when choosing leaders.

Meanwhile, Anne Curtis reflected on the emotional impact of the incident while calling on citizens to remain vigilant and hopeful.

“Just caught up on the news in the Philippines. Nakakalungkot na umabot sa sitwasyon na ganun, in fact, it’s so sad that it even happened. I guess all we can do as citizens and voters is watch, learn, take note and continue to pray for our country,” Curtis wrote.

Ogie Diaz questioned how far the situation would escalate before those involved surrendered and cooperated with authorities.

Bianca Gonzalez posted a brief message online saying, “God bless the Philippines.”

Veteran actress Agot Isidro called for transparency by urging authorities to release CCTV footage from the Senate premises, while comedian Pokwang lamented how the country’s political atmosphere has increasingly resembled a “circus.”

Amid the public uproar, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. denied any government involvement in the disturbance and assured the public that the Senate and the Philippine National Police would conduct a full investigation into the incident.