The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) has confirmed that the gunfire inside the Senate earlier this month is directly related to the escape of Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa.
“Let me just say that, you know, two incidents po yun. They’re related,” CIDG director Maj. Gen. Robert Alexander Morico II said during a press briefing at Camp Crame on Thursday, May 28.
He emphasized that while the CIDG has completed its probe, the Department of Justice (DOJ) now holds the investigation and will determine liability.
The CIDG’s findings, based on witness statements and CCTV footage, rejected claims that the Senate was under attack on May 13.
Instead, investigators concluded that the gunfire was part of a larger, coordinated maneuver to facilitate Dela Rosa’s escape from Senate custody.
Morico disclosed that the CIDG has submitted incident reports and recommendations for legal action, including obstruction of justice charges against Senator Robin Padilla, his staff, and several others allegedly involved in aiding Dela Rosa.
The DOJ, led by acting Secretary Fredderick A. Vida, has expanded its investigation to cover events dating back to May 11, when Dela Rosa appeared at the Senate to cast a crucial vote in the leadership change that installed Senator Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president.
Morico declined to comment on whether Cayetano could face charges, saying, “That question is outside of my paycheck. It’s for the Department of Justice to evaluate.”
He stressed that the CIDG’s role is limited to investigative support, with conclusions left to the DOJ. “We investigated the Senate shooting then the escape. To make conclusions, we have already turned over the case to the Department of Justice,” Morico said. (Aaron Recuenco)
