The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) sought the assistance of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Wednesday to reinforce security at its compound, following a shooting incident near the Senate building amid reports of a possible arrest involving Sen. Ronald dela Rosa.
GSIS President and General Manager Wick Veloso, in a letter shown to NBI Director Melvin Matibag, requested the deployment of NBI personnel to help maintain peace and order within the premises shared with the Senate.
Veloso said the added security presence was intended to ensure the safety of individuals in the area and to prevent further untoward incidents while operations continued inside the complex.
He also stressed that coordinated security efforts would help sustain orderly activities within the GSIS compound, which houses the Senate, during a tense situation unfolding on Wednesday.
Matibag said during a Palace briefing on Thursday that the NBI had already been in verbal coordination with GSIS before the formal request was received at around 5 p.m. that day.
He added that NBI personnel arrived at the site at about 6 p.m., shortly after the agency received the written request from GSIS.
In the same briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca was the first to fire a warning shot after noticing the presence of NBI agents inside the premises, escalating confusion during the incident.
Sen. Ronald dela Rosa later left the Senate at around 2:30 a.m. on Thursday, while Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano said he was no longer under Senate protective custody after voluntarily exiting the chamber.