BY THE VERY nature of the job, reporters covering beats are the frontline sources of information of the goings on in a department, a branch of government, public and private enterprises, among others.
Being the frontliners, mediamen are exposed to insurmountable risks during live coverage, including incidents of violence – just like the chaotic standoff that saw several journalists trapped inside the Senate building in Pasay City.
The source of the Senate standoff was the continued protective custody afforded by new Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano and the dozen senators who supported his power grab to their peer.
Beyond the power grab, fugitive Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, used the Senate as refuge to evade an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), in relation to his participation in the bloody war against drugs during the previous administration.
On Wednesday night, reporters covering the Senate beat scampered to safety after shots were fired inside the senate building.
The volley of gunshots inside the Senate premises sent journalists scampering to safety, extricating themselves from the very source of mayhem but were prevented from doing so by the lockdown of the building. Panic and screams from journalists covering the Senate were heard.
No one– not even Cayetano and the other senators– could say who fired but some netizens say it was obviously an inside job designed to muddle both the arrest attempts of Dela Rosa and the impeachment trial that the Senate should be working at forthwith as volumes of documents have been transmitted to the Senate building also last Wednesday.
A handful of senators and employees claimed to have heard drilling of a wall–a possible escape route that leads to the adjacent Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) compound.
Dela Rosa earlier said he believed his arrest was imminent and called upon his supporters to prevent it–which a disorganized but provocative mob did through vigils just outside the Senate building. Video footage showed some even trying to break the police barricades.
Dela Rosa, who served as the country’s top cop, is accused by the ICC of killing thousands during former president Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.
TV footage showed police commandos in fatigues entering the Senate building in Manila early on Wednesday evening, with shield-wielding anti-riot cops surrounding the perimeter.
Protesters outside the Senate demanded Dela Rosa’s detention and extradition to the Hague to stand trial with Duterte. His lawyers have appealed to the Supreme Court to block his extradition, but as of presstime, the tribunal has yet to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO).
The senate building has been locked down since the shots, and senators are holed up inside.
The government denied trying to arrest Dela Rosa, and says it is still investigating who opened fire.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the president had given “strict instructions” to secure the senators – including Dela Rosa.
When the commotion subsided, Remulla made a categorical claim that the fugitive senator is safe — “We are not here to arrest Senator Dela Rosa but to protect him. Let that be clear. I made that clear to his family,” Remulla told the media.
NUJP STATEMENT
Journalists covering the intense standoff and subsequent gunfire at the Philippine Senate on the evening of May 13, 2026, faced significant danger, prompting an urgent safety alert from the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP).
Despite the panic and chaos, no injuries to media workers were reported in the immediate aftermath.
The NUJP advised all newsrooms to prioritize the safety of their personnel on the ground, urging them to drop to the ground during gunfire and ensure they were in safe areas.
Prior to the shooting, the NUJP raised concerns about the lockdown of the Senate, which restricted journalists’ access to and from the building, amidst attempts to arrest Senator Dela Rosa.
The firing of shots occurred during a highly volatile political situation, following a warning by the NUJP on May 3, 2026, that state repression and attacks against media workers remain a significant threat.
The situation occurred during a high-stakes standoff concerning an alleged arrest order from the ICC. The Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) in related contexts has encouraged journalists to report threats for immediate assistance.
Previous statements by the senators in the Cayetano bloc seem to imply that NBI agents are pushing hard to effect the arrest of dela Rosa, at any cost.
But when numerous shots were fired– destroying some walls– there were no visible NBI agents around– just Marines to protect the impeachment documents that the House sent for the impeachment trial, the members of the Office of the Senate Sergeant at Arms and several policemen.
According to initial reports as of writing, tensions in the Senate building de-escalated around 9 p.m. with no individuals injured, the NUJP posted on Facebook.
The NUJP called for calm and media access at the Senate since Monday as it expressed concern over the lockdown at the Senate implemented since Monday afternoon.
According to information received from within the upper house, media workers inside the complex are not allowed to go out and those outside cannot enter.
The measures, reportedly prompted by an attempt to arrest Dela Rosa, have included barbed wire at the gate and the rolling down of roller doors at the main entrance.
It urged the Senate leadership to allow colleagues access to and egress from the chamber as they perform their duties.
NUJP also urged parties in the developing situation to resolve this issue “without putting our colleagues and others who are not involved at risk.”