MANILA: Gunshots broke out at the Philippine Senate on Wednesday (May 13) and people ran for cover after a top politician wanted by the International Criminal Court said his arrest was imminent and security forces entered the building.
There were no immediate reports of casualties however, Senate Secretary Mark Llandro Mendoza told reporters following the chaos at the legislature in the capital Manila.
Senator Ronald dela Rosa, a former police chief who was the main enforcer of ex-Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody “war on drugs”, had earlier urged people to mobilise to prevent his arrest and handover to the ICC.
The Hague-based court on Monday unsealed an arrest warrant for dela Rosa on charges of crimes against humanity, the same that 81-year-old Duterte is accused of as he awaits trial in the ICC following his transfer last year.
Dela Rosa, 64, has denied involvement in illegal killings.
“I am appealing to you, I hope you can help me. Do not allow another Filipino to be brought to The Hague,” he said in a video on Facebook from his Senate office, where he has taken refuge since Monday when placed under legislative protection.
Senate Secretary Mendoza said law enforcement officers believed to be from the National Bureau of Investigation had attempted to enter the Senate and fired as they retreated.
But NBI Director Melvin Matibag told GMA News that no agents had been deployed.
“I spoke with the (justice) minister and he told me to await instructions. We have no preparations whatsoever,” he said.
More than 10 military personnel in camouflage fatigues arrived, some carrying assault rifles, Reuters journalists saw.
The chief of the military’s public affairs office Xerxes Trinidad told Reuters the Senate had requested help to “assist them in securing the facility”.
Interior Minister Jonvic Remulla said it was unclear who fired shots and security footage would need to be checked. He said dela Rosa was safe and he assured him no arrest would be made.