MANILA, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Philippine Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano on Thursday confirmed that Senator Ronald Dela Rosa is no longer inside the Senate building.
Amid tensions surrounding reports of an attempted arrest of Dela Rosa, gunshots rang out from the Senate complex on Wednesday night, triggering chaos and confusion inside the building. The situation later calmed down, according to Senate officials.
Cayetano said Nancy, the wife of Dela Rosa, told him that the couple had earlier agreed that Dela Rosa would take refuge in the Senate amid an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against him. She told Cayetano that following the shooting incident on Wednesday night, Dela Rosa seized the chance to leave the building.
Nancy told Cayetano that Dela Rosa's prolonged stay in the premises would bring greater repercussions to fellow senators.
Jonvic Remulla, secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, came to the Senate building on Wednesday night and said Dela Rosa was safe and wanted to rest, and had been assured that no arrest warrant for him would be served.
The ICC unsealed an arrest warrant for Dela Rosa on Monday evening, which was originally issued as secret in November 2025. ■
