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Gunfire in Philippine Senate: Stand-off shows extent to which Duterte bloc would protect their own
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Senate security personnel and police officers asking members of the media to stay back after gunshots were heard at the Philippine Senate.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Gunfire erupted in the Philippine Senate as Senator Dela Rosa, wanted by the ICC, hid from arrest amidst escalating political tensions.
- Duterte allies used the Senate to protect Dela Rosa from ICC arrest, aiming to control Vice-President Duterte’s looming impeachment trial there.
- Analysts state the Senate became a "shield" for fugitives, undermining democratic norms amid the collapsing Marcos-Duterte political alliance.
AI generated
MANILA – Gunfire inside the Philippine Senate. A senator holed up in the Chamber to avoid arrest. Then, by dawn, the senator was gone.
These extraordinary scenes that unfolded in Manila from May 13 to 14 were the clearest sign yet that the escalating feud between the camps of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and Vice-President Sara Duterte has entered dangerous new territory.
