Not a single soldier tasked to secure the Senate building used any weapon during the gunfire incident that stemmed over claims that Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa would be arrested and turned over to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Instead, it was the armed personnel of the Office of Sergeant-At-Arms (OSAA), which is in charge of Senate security and currently under retired police general Mao Aplasca, who fired the shots that caused panic among senators, journalists and other people present at the building on Wednesday night.

Gen. Romeo Brawner, chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said the Marine commandos seen in photos and videos entering the facility are part of the institutional security detail at vital government installations, facilities, and landmarks.

The military earlier said that they are members of the Marine Security & Escort Group (MSEG) personnel detailed at the Senate for perimeter security.

“We have security detachments at the Senate, at the Congress, at the DFA and other vital offices. It’s their job to secure the facility signed to them. They're there to secure the facility like the practice in the US where Marines are guarding vital facilities,” said Brawner.

“They’re not there as individual security of senators,” he emphasized.

Shots were fired on Wednesday night after armed men were seen enforcing lockdown of the Senate.

According to Brawner, they talked with the commander on the ground who assured them no soldier fired a shot during the incident.

“They did not fire their guns because they were there to support. It’s the OSAA which fired the shots,” said Brawner.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) denied that it was its agents who fired the shot, emphasizing that there was no deployment to the Senate to implement the arrest order against dela Rosa.

On the other hand, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the shots heard did not come from the policemen, saying he is 100 percent sure about it.