President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. does not consider the shooting incident at the Senate as an attack, according to Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro during a press conference on Monday, May 18, 2026.
Palace Clarifies Position
“Senate siege? Was it under attack? It was not, the Senate was not under attack. We can see that from the news not only from the statement of the NBI and PNP,” Castro said. She emphasized that the government’s position is that the Senate was never under attack, contrary to the statement of Senator Alan Cayetano.
Castro affirmed that this is also the position of President Marcos, who expressed disappointment over the incident that drew international attention.
Details of the Incident
The shooting occurred when retired Major General Mao Aplasca, head of the Senate Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms, fired warning shots against NBI agents deployed to maintain peace and order at the GSIS building. The Senate and GSIS buildings are separated only by a wall, and most senators were present in the Senate building at the time.
Newly elected Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano claimed in a video that the Senate was under attack. The tension arose amid the impending arrest of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who was under Senate protective custody due to an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Hours later, Dela Rosa left the Senate premises, sparking speculation that the incident was staged. Cayetano vehemently denied these allegations.
