MANILA, Philippines — Pointing out that political turmoil is actively crippling the country’s legislative machinery, Senator Raffy Tulfo called for an absolute, transparent investigation into the unprecedented shootout that breached the upper chamber.Tulfo lamented that the armed confrontation has triggered critical gridlocks, stalling the presentation and passage of urgent national measures.
Tulfo, who functions within the upper chamber’s minority bloc, emphasized that the institutional credibility of the Senate must be protected from personal or factional political interests.
In a formal press statement released on Saturday afternoon, Tulfo expressed deep frustration over how heavily the administrative functions of the chamber have suffered since the violent events of Wednesday evening, May 13:
- Sponsorship Gridlocks: The lawmaker revealed that several critical, fully drafted pieces of legislation were slated for their formal floor sponsorships this week but have been repeatedly pushed back due to localized lockdowns, forensic sweeps, and ongoing administrative restructuring.
- The Mandate Argument: Tulfo asserted that resolving the security crisis through a transparent process is the only logical pathway to restoring organizational normalcy.
“It is saddening that many important proposed measures are ready for their sponsorship but they keep on being delayed because of the chaos in the Senate… There should be a transparent investigation on what happened for the truth to come out. This is important for us to resume our work under the mandate given to us by the Filipino people.” — Senator Raffy Tulfo
While addressing the multi-agency investigations launched by the Philippine National Police (PNP), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and the Department of Justice (DOJ), Tulfo called for an even-handed approach to criminal liability:
- The First Shot: Tulfo formally acknowledged the Office of the Ombudsman’s decision to slap Acting Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca with a six-month preventive suspension after Aplasca admitted to firing an initial warning shot at executive operatives.
- The Return Volley: However, the senator pushed back against placing the entirety of the blame on Senate security personnel. Tulfo stressed that the specific NBI asset or operative who fired back into the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) contingent must be tracked down and face identical legal metrics.
The violent disruption that Tulfo is addressing occurred just before 8:00 p.m. on May 13, completely derailing an already volatile week inside the legislative branch:
- The Catalyst: Gunfire erupted inside the GSIS complex amid a highly charged standoff regarding the potential service of an active International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa for crimes against humanity.
- The Vanishing Act: Following the three-minute shooting exchange and subsequent security lockdown, Dela Rosa—who had just been placed under Senate protective custody hours prior—vanished past broken security protocols at 2:30 a.m. on Thursday alongside Senator Robin Padilla, effectively evading law enforcement teams.
- The Corporate Refusal: The political fallout deepened on Saturday when Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla revealed that Senate leadership under new Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano refused to formally receive a subpoena demanding the immediate surrender of raw, unedited CCTV server logs to independent investigators.