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‘No evidence of Senate attack’ Remulla says 6-day probe showed just a ‘gun-related incident’
By Charles Dantes, Rolando Ng III, Ram Superable, Rex Espiritu and Joel E. Zurbano
I
NTERIOR Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Tuesday investigators found no evidence of an attack on the Upper Chamber during the May 13 shooting incident inside the Senate complex, as authorities released details of the timeline leading to the gunfire.
Speaking at a Palace briefing with Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida and Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez, Remulla said a six-day investigation involving CCTV footage, affidavits, and interviews showed that “all evidence points that there was no attack on the Senate.”
‘Gun-related incident’ timeline Authorities described the incident as a “gun-related incident” involving the dis-
charge of firearms inside Senate premises at around 7:45 p.m. on May 13. Investigators said the Pasay City police initially handled the case before forwarding records to prosecutors on May 14, while the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group later expanded the probe and submitted findings to the Department of Justice. Police presented a chronology of events beginning at 5:23 p.m., when Next page
ESCAPE TIMELINE. (From left) Justice Acting Secretary Fredderick Vida, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla Jr. and Philippine National Police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. on Tuesday present a timeline of the ‘gun-related incident’ and Senator Bato dela Rosa’s escape from the Senate early Thursday morning last week (May 14). Revoli Cortez
NBI chief says gov’t has leads on Sen. Bato’s whereabouts By Itchie Cabayan
THE National Bureau of Investigation said it has leads on the whereabouts of Senator Ronald dela Rosa who has gone into hiding following the issuance of a warrant of arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
VOL. XL • NO. 95 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2026
The Department of Justice earlier confirmed the Philippines has officially received the ICC arrest warrant against Dela Rosa. NBI director Melvin Matibag declined, however, to give further details about their leads. Next page
Noted criminal Prosecutors: VP Sara resigning shouldn’t stop impeachment trial lawyer joins Rody’s team By Maricel V. Cruz, Ram Superable and Pot Chavez
THE possible resignation of Vice President Sara Duterte would not automatically stop the impeachment trial, House prosecutors said Tuesday, arguing that
By Pot Chavez PROMINENT international criminal lawyer Kate Gibson has joined the defense team of former President Rodrigo Duterte who is facing charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands. The ICC registry confirmed this in a document dated 18 May 2026, noting that Duterte’s newly-appointed counsel Peter Haynes requested for Gibson to assist the defense team in the trial. Earlier this month, Nicholas Kaufman withdrew as defense counsel in the case ahead of the trial. The Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) in the ICC earlier proposed that Duterte’s trial be set on Nov. 30, 2026. In its submissions dated 15 May 2026, the prosecutors noted that they expect to complete all of the necesNext page
the Senate impeachment court must still determine whether the penalty of perpetual disqualification from public office should be imposed. Speaking at a press conference, lead House impeachment prosecutor Rep. Gerville Luistro of Batangas said im-
peachment carries two principal penalties upon conviction: removal from office and perpetual disqualification from holding public office. “We have to remember that there are two principal penalties in case the respondent in an impeachment case is
convicted. These two principal penalties are removal and perpetual disqualification,” Luistro said. “While resignation from office will render moot and academic the penalty of removal, it is my position that Next page
DA chief eyes P53/kilo SRP for local rice By Othel V. Campos
READY FOR TRIAL. Members of the House prosecution panel on Tuesday answer questions from the media on their respective
assignments for the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. The public prosecutors are (from left) Lordan Suan, Jose Manuel Diokno, Terry Ridon, Joel Chua, Ysabel Maria Zamora, Gerville Luistro, Leila De Lima, Lorenzo Defensor, Jonathan Keith Flores and Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez. Ver Noveno
AGRICULTURE Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. on Tuesday said the Department of Agriculture has agreed with rice industry stakeholders to set a suggested retail price (SRP) of P53 per kilo for local rice. He said the decision is expected to balance fair returns for farmers with affordable prices for consumers. The SRP places local rice slightly above imported 5-percent broken rice, Next page
Tinio seeks Ombudsman probe PH avoiding into questionable Davao projects conflict over Taiwan—PBBM By Rex Espiritu, Vito Barcelo, and Ram Superable
HOUSE Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio on Tuesday asked the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate up to P4.4 billion worth of flood Next page
FLOOD CONTROL WOES. House
Deputy Minority Leader Antonio Tinio shows the complaint he filed against Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte before the Office of the Ombudsman on Tuesday. The case involved at least 80 flood control projects worth P4.44 billion flagged for alleged irregularities from 2019 to 2022. Manny Palmero
By Charles Dantes PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the country wants to avoid being drawn into any conflict over Taiwan. He acknowledged that the Philippines would inevitably feel the effects of any confrontation because of its geographic proximity and the large number of Filipinos living and working on the island. “We certainly do not want to be part of any conflict,” Mr. Marcos said during a roundtable interview with Japanese media at Malacañang. The chief executive emphasized Next page
TRADE TALKS. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. welcomes United States Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Jacob Helberg at Malacañang on Tuesday. Discussions focused on the Luzon Economic Corridor (LEC), Pax Silica initiatives, investment and technology partnerships, supply chain cooperation, and other key trade priorities affecting both countries. The LEC, in particular, is envisioned to generate up to 1 million jobs for Filipinos and help drive double-digit economic growth for the country. PCO