Malacañang rejected claims that the Senate was placed under siege during last week’s shooting incident, while saying President Marcos was disappointed over developments surrounding Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s supposed escape from Senate protective custody.

In her press briefing, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro insisted that the Senate was never attacked despite statements made by some senators describing the incident as a “Senate siege.”

“‘Senate siege?’ Was it under attack? It was not, the Senate was not under attack,” she said Monday, May 18.

“You can see that from the news, not only from the statements of the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) and PNP (Philippine National Police). It was only the statement made by Senator Alan Cayetano,” she added.

Castro said the Palace and the government maintain that no assault against the Senate occurred.

“So, as far as we are concerned, as far as the government is concerned, the Senate was never under attack,” she said.

Asked if this also reflected the President’s position, Castro replied: “Of course.”

Castro also revealed that Marcos appeared disappointed over the developments, including the shooting and involving Dela Rosa, who had been under Senate protective custody amid attempts to serve an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against him.

“Sa huling pangyayari patungkol doon sa diumano na pagtakas at pagkawala kahit na may protective custody ang Senado, nakakadismaya naman talaga (In the latest developments regarding the alleged escape and disappearance despite Senate protective custody, it is truly disappointing),” she said.

Asked whether the President himself expressed disappointment, Castro said Marcos showed it during a meeting with Cabinet officials.

“Noong nagkaroon po ng meeting, inalam niya kung anong pangyayari at makikita mo sa hitsura ng Pangulo at kung papaano siya magtanong sa mga Cabinet secretaries nandoon po iyong disappointment (When the meeting happened, he asked about what transpired, and you could see from the President’s expression and the way he questioned Cabinet secretaries that there was disappointment),” she said.

“Hindi sa Cabinet secretaries kung hindi sa pangyayari sa Senado (Not toward the Cabinet secretaries, but toward what happened in the Senate),” she added.

Castro also defended the NBI against accusations that it failed to serve the ICC arrest warrant against dela Rosa.

“I-correct po natin ito ha (Let us correct that): There was no failure on the part of the NBI agents. Hinarang sila (They were blocked),” she said.

When asked whether the NBI should have followed the Senate’s request to suspend the warrant’s service while Dela Rosa was under Senate protection, Castro questioned the Senate’s intervention.

“The question is, was the Senate correct in interfering with the service of the warrant of arrest?” she said.

“Dito makikita ninyo kung sino ang may respeto sa isang institusyon at sino ang hindi rumespeto sa batas (This is where you will see who respects institutions and who does not respect the law),” she added.