Authorities identified the suspect in Wednesday night’s Senate shooting incident as a 44-year-old driver employed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), following hours of confusion inside the heavily secured compound.
Police said the suspect, identified as Mel Oragon, allegedly fired several shots inside the Senate building before Senate security personnel subdued and arrested him.
The incident occurred at around 7:50 p.m. within the GSIS compound area as tensions escalated over Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s possible arrest under an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant. No deaths or injuries were reported during the shooting.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) said investigators from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and Pasay police immediately began gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses. Authorities also subjected the suspect to a paraffin examination inside the Senate building.
“May mga pangalan din po siyang binibigay para po ito ay magandang development sapagkat ito po ay subject for verification naman po,” PNP spokesperson Police Brigadier General Randulf Tuaño said regarding information allegedly provided by the suspect during questioning.
Police said authorities are preparing charges involving firearms violations, alarms and scandals, grave threats, direct assault and Senate security violations. Forensic teams also conducted technical examinations, bomb threat inspections and security sweeps across the Senate premises after the incident.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. denied Wednesday night that state forces or NBI agents were involved in the incident and said no government order had been issued to arrest dela Rosa that evening.
“Tinawagan ko ang NBI at tinanong ko si Director Matibag, ‘Kayo ba pumasok sa Senado?’ Ang sabi sa akin, ‘Wala kaming instruction, sir,’” Marcos said regarding reports that NBI personnel entered the Senate during the shooting incident.
Dela Rosa is facing an ICC arrest warrant over alleged crimes against humanity linked to the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign.
