MANILA: Multiple gunshots sent Philippine senators into hiding in their offices late Wednesday, AFP journalists said, as a legislator wanted by the International Criminal Court has sought refuge in the building.
There were no casualties and the search for the gunmen was ongoing, Interior Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla told reporters, adding that fugitive Senator Ronald Dela Rosa remained inside the building.
AFP journalists in the Senate said they heard at least five gunshots.
A television journalist was seen crying as she reported live from inside the building, while one senator, Robin Padilla, urged reporters to evacuate.
The dramatic scene unfolded as Dela Rosa — former president Rodrigo Duterte’s top enforcer during his bloody drug war — holed up in the Senate complex to dodge arrest and transfer to the Netherlands over alleged crimes against humanity.
