The Office of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) said it has already submitted a copy of the CCTV footage covering the shooting incident in the Senate between its personnel and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents last Wednesday.
Mao Aplasca, the Senate's acting sergeant-at-arms, said in a statement released to Saturday that the CCTV system at the second floor of the Senate building where the "gunfire" took place is operational.
He added that his office also has furnished the PNP- Criminal Investigation and Detection Group NCR CCTV copies of the incident.
'Sana walang coverup': Ombudsman orders Senate to submit CCTV footage during gunfire incident
"In compliance with said request and in full cooperation with the ongoing investigation, the OSAA, through its Integrated Electronics and Technical Section, voluntarily provided the requested CCTV footages on the same date to the PNP CIDG RFU NCR," said Aplasca, who is facing a 6-month preventive suspension over the escape of Senator Ronald "Bato" de la Rosa.
"Corresponding certifications and acknowledgment receipts were likewise executed and signed by the receiving PNP personnel confirming their receipt of the CCTV copies, specifically pertaining to DVR 2 CCTV Cam 8 and DVR 8 CCTV Cams 7 and 8 covering the relevant period of the incident. The certifications further affirmed that the CCTV footage provided was authentic, original, unaltered, and directly obtained from the official Senate CCTV system."
Aplasca said the receipt of the CCTV copies "disprove allegations that no CCTV footage existed or was made available to authorities."
He also appealed to public and the media "to exercise prudence, responsibility, and fairness in sharing and reporting information and to rely only on verified statements and official documents coming from authorized government sources."
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The Office of the Ombudsman on Friday said it ordered the Senate to submit copies of CCTV footage during the gunfire incident on Wednesday night.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla told a news conference that he will issue subpoena for Senate authorities to submit the recording of the scenes during the shooting inside the chamber's premises.
The move is part of the Ombudsman's investigation to get a full picture of the extraordinary incident inside the Senate, Remulla said, adding that his office is also requesting copies of videos from the media during the disturbance.
"Sana naman ay walang nawawala na footage," Remulla said, noting that there are allegations that Senate CCTV footage on Wednesday night may have been hidden.