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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider PNP speeds up probe as speculations flood social media over Senate gunfire motive

PNP speeds up probe as speculations flood social media over Senate gunfire motive

Published May 17, 2026 11:05 am

At A Glance

  • PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez, Jr. assured that the result will be released in the soonest possible time.
  • He asked for patience noting that the issue is sensitive and requires narration of events based on facts and pieces of evidence.
Personnel of the Philippine National Police walk past a police cordon leading to the site of the shooting inside the Senate of the Philippines in Pasay City on May 14, 2026. (Mark Balmores)
Personnel of the Philippine National Police walk past a police cordon leading to the site of the shooting inside the Senate of the Philippines in Pasay City on May 14, 2026. (Mark Balmores)
As speculations and conspiracy theories flood social media over the Senate gunfire incident on May 13, the Philippine National Police (PNP) called for sobriety and urged the public to wait instead for the complete result of the investigation.
PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez, Jr. assured that the result will be released in the soonest possible time as he asked for patience noting that the issue is sensitive and requires piecing together of events based on facts and pieces of evidence. 
“Just like everyone, we in the PNP are also interested to know everything about this incident. We are looking into all the angles based on facts and all the pieces of evidence that we have, and we can get in order to come up with a clear picture of what really happened in the interest of truth, accountability and justice,” said Nartatez.
Nartatez earlier assured of fair and comprehensive investigation into the Senate incident amid speculations that it was staged to pave the way for the escape of Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa.
A warrant of arrest was issued against Dela Rosa by the International Criminal Court (ICC) after he was named as co-perpetrator in the case of crimes against humanity in relation to the bloody drug war that left over 6,000 dead in police operations and thousands more at the hands of drug war-inspired vigilante groups.
Dela Rosa suddenly appeared on Monday, May 11, after six months of hiding and it turned out that it was because of the Senate coup that installed Alan Peter Cayetao as Senate President.
Following the Senate incident, social media became the platform for intense discussions based on speculations and rumors.
On the part of the PNP, Nartatez said they already obtained significant pieces of evidence and testimonies that could shed light on the incident, including investigation on the arrested suspect and receipt of copies of CCTVs in the Senate at the time of the incident.
He also disclosed that concerned government agencies have been very cooperative in the conduct of the investigation.
“We acknowledge the urgency of providing all our kababayan definite answers to their questions over the incident, answers that are based on facts and as a result of meticulous investigation,” said Nartatez.
“The Filipino people deserve to know the truth, and we in the PNP commits to release the investigation in the soonest possible time,” he stressed.
But in the meantime, Nartatez urged the public to give the PNP the time to do its role of ferreting out the truth.

Related Tags

Bato dela Rosa PNP ICC arrest warrant Senate gunfire
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