Philippine Senate in lockdown after gunshots fired

Police commandos entered the building where a senator wanted by the International Criminal Court had sought refuge. Bato dela Rosa: Ex-Philippine leader Duterte's drug war enforcer escapes ICC arrest Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Officials have not said who fired the shots - or why A man dressed in a blue shirt and a bullet-proof vest carrying a gun. Philippine Senate in lockdown after gunshots fired The Philippine Senate was locked down with military personnel seen entering the building where a senator wanted by the International Criminal Court had sought refuge. Rounds of gunfire were heard but officials have not revealed who who fired the shots, but say there have been no casualties. Senator Ronald Dela Rosa said earlier he believed his arrest was imminent and urged Filipinos to prevent it. His whereabouts are currently unclear. He is accused by the ICC of killing dozens of people when he was police chief during former president Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs, in which thousands of alleged dealers were shot and killed. Duterte has been held at The Hague since March 2025. TV footage showed police commandos in fatigues entering the Senate building in Manila early on Wednesday evening, with anti-riot policemen with shields and helmets surrounding the perimeter. Protesters outside the Senate demanded Dela Rosa's detention, calling for him to be sent to stand trial with Duterte. His lawyers have appealed to the Supreme Court to block his extradition. Dela Rosa was captured on CCTV stumbling on a staircase during the incident Philippine Senator Ronald dela Rosa stumbles on stairs as he runs away from Philippine law enforcement agents inside the Philippine Senate. The senate building has been locked down since the shots, and senators are holed up inside. Interior secretary Jonvic Remulla said the president had given "strict instructions" to secure the senators. Armed police commandos in fatigues were seen entering the Senate Military personnel in camouflage fatigues enter the Senate building where Philippine Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, the chief enforcer of former president Rodrigo Duterte's drug war, at the Senate, is under protective custody amid an International Criminal Court warrant, as more than a dozen gunshots were heard at the Philippine Senate on Wednesday, and people were told to run for cover, according to a Reuters witness, in Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines, May 13, 2026. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez He added: "We are not here to arrest Senator Dela Rosa. In fact, we are here to protect him. Let that be clear. I made that clear to his family." No one has been arrested for the shooting, Remulla said. Senate speaker Alan Peter Cayetano asked the public to send "any videos that could help with the investigation". Dela Rosa (left) and Senator Bong Go at the senate on Wednesday Philippine senator Ronald Bato Dela Rosa and Bong Go Duterte has refused to recognise the ICC proceedings, arguing that during his presidency in 2019 the Philippines had pulled out of the Rome Statute, the ICC's founding agreement. But last month, judges in the ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber rejected that argument on the grounds that the alleged crimes had happened between 2011 and 2019 - while the Philippines was still a member of the ICC - paving the way for Duterte to stand trial. Additional reporting by Simon Fraser and Ella Kipling Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa, a former national police chief, has sought refuge in the senate. If convicted in a Senate trial, which is uncertain, she will be disqualified from running for president. Broadway icon and Disney princess Lea Salonga has paved the way for Asian actors - but it hasn't been easy. Trump has landed in Beijing for the first visit by a US leader since his own in 2017. The suspect allegedly tried to transfer millions of dollars worth of shares from the K-pop singer's account. Nearly 2.28 million candidates will now have to reappear in a test to secure a place in India's top medical colleges. Nearly 2.28 million students had appeared for the highly competitive medical entrance test last week. Himanta Biswa Sarma is seen as one of the architects of BJP's rapid growth in India's northeast.