Hindi nagpahayag ng komento ang Palasyo hinggil sa lumulutang na naratibo patungkol sa pagiging “staged” o planado umano ng naganap na kaguluhan sa Senado noong Miyerkules ng gabi, Mayo 13, kung saan umalingawngaw ang ilang putok ng baril.

Sa ginanap na press briefing ng Presidential Communications Office (PCO) nitong Lunes, Mayo 18, mariing iginiit ni PCO Undersecretary at Palace Press Officer Atty. Claire Castro na wala siyang masasabi kaugnay sa usapin o ideyang planado ang mga naturang kaganapan.

“I cannot… I cannot say anything about that. I cannot make a judgment if it is staged, orchestrated, planned,” saad ni Usec. Castro.

Aniya, “...but you can assess that from the reports also made by some journalist, some reporters. So, kayo na po ang mag-assess.”

Sa parehong press briefing, binuweltahan naman ni Usec. Castro ang mga pahayag ni Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, kung saan sinabi nitong inatake umano ang Senado kamakailan.

Ani Usec. Castro, “never” daw na-under attack ang mataas na kapulungan.

“Senate siege… Was it under attack? It was not. The Senate was not under attack, you can see that from the news—not only from the statements of the [National Bureau of Investigation] NBI and [Philippine National Police] PNP, it was only the statement made by Senator Alan Cayetano. So as far as we are concerned, as far as the government is concerned, [the] Senate was never under attack,” lahad ni Usec. Castro.

MAKI-BALITA: ‘Senate was never under attack!’—Palasyo-Balita