Senator Imee R. Marcos formally wrote to her brother, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., on Thursday, May 14, 2026, urging him to temporarily relieve three senior National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) officials over what she described as an alleged siege and the firing of shots inside the Senate premises the previous evening, May 13, 2026.
In a letter addressed to "His Excellency Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr." at Malacañan Palace, the senator identified the three officials she wants temporarily removed from duty: NBI Director Atty. Melvin Matibag, NBI-National Capital Region Chief Atty. Emeterio Dongallo Jr., and NBI-Organized and Transnational Crime Division Chief Atty. Jerome Bomediano.
Senator Marcos also released a separate six-point public statement defending the actions of Senate security personnel and challenging the government's official account of how NBI agents came to be near or inside the upper chamber on the night of May 13.
Senator Marcos Cites Risk of Compromised Investigation
In her letter to the President, Senator Marcos said the temporary relief of the three NBI officials was essential to safeguarding the independence of any forthcoming inquiry into the incident.
"Such temporary relief is necessary to preserve the integrity and credibility of the investigation and to remove any appearance of undue influence or impropriety," she wrote in the letter dated May 14, 2026.
The senator specifically flagged what she called "inconsistent public statements" from NBI Director Matibag, including his claim that NBI personnel had been at the adjacent Sequoia Hotel for a fellowship gathering — a characterization she said was contradicted by reports and video footage allegedly showing NBI agents inside or within the boundaries of the Senate complex.
"These conflicting accounts make it all the more important that the investigation proceed free from any perceived interference," Senator Marcos added in her letter.
Senate Security Fired First Shot, Marcos Says, But Cites Provocation
In her separate public statement posted under the hashtag #IMEEsolusyon on May 14, Senator Marcos acknowledged that Senate security personnel under the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) fired the first shot during the May 13 incident — but argued the circumstances amounted to justifiable self-defense.
According to the senator, NBI agents had entered the Senate premises without authorization, allegedly drilled through a wall from the adjacent Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) building, and refused repeated demands to put down their long arms and ammunition. She characterized the OSAA's initial shot as a single warning round, after which she claimed several volleys were fired by NBI personnel.
"They were clearly assaulting the Senate, and it was mere self-defense for the Senate to fire a single warning shot, after which several volleys were fired by the NBI, further justifying Senate security's single shot," Senator Marcos stated in her six-point public assessment.
Senator Marcos Questions Why NBI Was at the Senate at All
A central argument in Senator Marcos's public statement was a challenge to the NBI's stated rationale for its presence near the Senate on the evening of May 13, particularly given the agency's own position — as articulated by Director Matibag — that there were "instructions not to arrest" Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa.
"If they were not going to arrest Bato, what was the NBI doing at the Senate? Why did they not coordinate with the Senate President and the OSAA, as they said they had done in past operations?" Senator Marcos asked.
She also questioned why, if the administration itself had not yet resolved the legal standing of any warrant against Senator Dela Rosa — with the matter reportedly still pending a Supreme Court resolution — NBI agents were positioned near the upper chamber at all.
Marcos Raises ICC Jurisdiction and Absence of Interpol Request
Senator Marcos pressed on what she described as the absence of a legally recognized and officially confirmed warrant against Senator Dela Rosa, tying her argument to the administration's own previously stated position that the Philippines does not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
She noted that in the earlier case involving former President Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippine government coordinated only with Interpol — and stressed that, as of her statement on May 14, no public report had confirmed the existence of an active Interpol request involving Senator Dela Rosa.
Senator Marcos cited Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Juanito Victor "Jonvic" Remulla, who she said clarified during his appearance at the Senate on the night of May 13 that any such matter involving ICC-related concerns must pass through the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime (PCTC) and local courts.
"How can there be obstruction of justice if there is no valid and officially recognized warrant against Bato?" Senator Marcos asked in her statement.
She further noted that no senator had personal knowledge of any specific act imputed to Dela Rosa, and that, to her knowledge, no pending case existed in the Philippines against him for crimes against humanity.
Senate Placed on Lockdown After Arrest Reports Circulate
The incident that prompted Senator Marcos's letter and public statement began on the evening of Wednesday, May 13, 2026, when the Senate complex in Manila was placed on lockdown after reports circulated that authorities might attempt to apprehend Senator Dela Rosa. The senator faces an ICC warrant connected to his tenure as Philippine National Police chief during the Duterte administration's anti-drug campaign.
Gunshots were subsequently reported on the second floor of the Senate building, triggering widespread public concern and drawing attention to the constitutional questions surrounding the arrest of a sitting senator on the premises of the upper chamber.
In a recorded video message released late on May 13, President Marcos denied any government involvement in the incident. The President said no soldier, police officer, or NBI agent from outside had entered the Senate, and stated that no orders had been issued to arrest Dela Rosa.
Parallel Investigations Now Underway
As of May 14, 2026, both the Senate and the Philippine National Police have announced that they are conducting separate, parallel investigations into the events of the night of May 13.
Senator Marcos's letter to President Marcos explicitly stated that her call for the temporary relief of the three NBI officials was made "without prejudging the outcome of any investigation," framing it instead as a procedural measure to protect the credibility of the inquiry.
It remains unclear as of the time of writing whether the President has responded to his sister's letter or whether any action has been taken with respect to the three named NBI officials. The Supreme Court's resolution on the legal question surrounding any potential warrant against Senator Dela Rosa is also still pending, with a 72-hour window for government response reportedly in effect.
The incident has intensified political tensions in Manila, with questions now centering on the coordination — or lack thereof — between the executive branch's law enforcement agencies and the Senate's own security apparatus, as well as the broader unresolved legal question of whether a valid, officially recognized basis for any action against Senator Dela Rosa exists under Philippine law.
Photo credit: Photo courtesy of Senator Imee Marcos / Philippine Senate