Pandemonium: A dramatic and violent week at the Senate
Violence and fear engulfed the dark Senate hallway as bullets juxtaposed Juvenal Sansó’s anti-war paintings on Wednesday, 13 May 2026, in Pasay City. Tensions unraveled as media members were trapped inside the Upper House during the lockdown, while staff from the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) and uniformed personnel armed with long rifles exchanged fire with National Bureau of Investigation officers attempting to arrest former Philippine National Police chief and Senator Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa, who had been summoned by the International Criminal Court.
Police forces camped outside Senate building after shoot out inside
Aram Lascano
As police forces blocked the gates of the country’s third-highest office, protesters from various groups — including progressives, as well as both Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Rodrigo Duterte supporters — troop down JW Diokno Blvd. for four straight days. The chase ultimately ended in an escape, with fellow senator and former action star Robin Padilla evading what could have been a one-way flight to The Hague to face trial for alleged crimes against humanity linked to drug war killings during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Former home base
On Sunday, 10 May 2026, at Camp Crame — Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa’s former home base — Jonvic Remulla, along with Philippine National Police chief Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. and other officials, said that the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group was set to issue a subpoena requiring the former chief to personally appear as part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged extrajudicial killings during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Manic Monday
Amid a regular Senate session on Monday, 11 May 2026, a loud stomp echoed across the plenary floor, marking the first appearance of Senator Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa since November 2025. His arrival followed a tense chase involving National Bureau of Investigation agents, just minutes after a motion for a change in Senate leadership was approved.
When asked by a reporter why he was present, Dela Rosa stressed:
“I am a senator of this republic! Kapag wala ako, hinahanap ninyo ako. Ngayon pumapasok ako, tatanungin ninyo ako: Bakit ako pumapasok?”
(“I am a senator of this republic. When I am absent, you look for me. Now that I am here, you are asking why I showed up?”)
His rival, former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, was outside the Session Hall holding a copy of the International Criminal Court warrant.
With 13 “yes” votes, nine “no” votes, and two abstentions, Alan Peter Cayetano replaced Tito Sotto as Senate President. Meanwhile, Loren Legarda was elected Senate President Pro Tempore.
Chief of the Senate Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) Edgardo Rene Samonte was also replaced by retired Police Major General Mao Aplasca, a fellow Philippine Military Academy classmate of Dela Rosa.
Locked and loaded
On Tuesday, 12 May, few members of the OSAA were seen posed with high caliber guns on Senate premises.
Earlier news reports see a cozy Senator Roland “Bato” Dela Rosa inside the Senate wearing his shirt. He is seen smiling as he attends the Senate hearing after a day of tension following the International Criminal Court’s Warrant of Arrest.
