MANILA — Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Thursday said he was “almost trampled upon” and had to protect himself during a commotion involving Senators Robin Padilla and Pia Cayetano at the Senate.

In a report, it said that Remulla said the incident occurred ahead of a hearing on flood control projects led by the Cayetano bloc, when senators moved to fetch resource persons and tensions briefly escalated.

He said he had been positioned in a way that left him with limited movement options.

“Wala na akong tatabihan eh. So kung tumabi ako, dito ako tatama– papunta sa door, sa pintuan na ‘yun. So I had to put myself in a position na puwede ako umatras. And then there was that position– kung tingnan niyo nga– I did not hold on to anyone. Wala akong sinigawan. I just looked at them. Tumabi lang ako. But there was no position to move aside,” Remulla said.

“I had to protect myself kasi siguro mga 50 sila. Pumunta ako dito para mag-confer lang kay Sen. [Sherwin Gatchalian] regarding security procedures. Nung paalis na ako, bilang nagdelubyo na rito,” he added, noting that Sen. Robin Padilla did not directly push him.

Before Remulla issued his account, Sen. Pia Cayetano denied his earlier claim that she did not attempt to block anyone, saying the incident was visible and supported by video evidence.

“Ay, hindi yata. Kasi nakita nung staff ko na may iba siyang kasama. Tsaka may video. Naglalakad ako dito. ‘Pag hindi ka umalis, edi hinarang mo ako, ‘di ba, kuya?” Cayetano said.

“Sorry if I cannot appreciate somebody standing in front of me and I’m trying to move forward. ‘Di naman ako nagmamalaki, pero I would think naman na, excuse me, puwede bang makidaan?” she added.

Remulla later said that apologies between the parties were no longer necessary, stressing that no physical harm occurred.

“Hindi na kailangan. Trabaho lang nila ‘yun, and they were doing their job… Physically, I wasn’t hurt,” he said.

He also said his presence at the Senate was partly to help prevent tensions between different factions within the chamber and to encourage calmer discourse.

“I’m here kasi nagkakaroon ng parehong factions sa left and right of the building. Ang iniiwasan namin– mag-clash ‘yung dalawang ‘yan. So, nakiusap ako sa kanya, let’s keep things down, the rhetoric down,” Remulla said.

Remulla added that he also met with acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian to discuss security arrangements involving the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), particularly in relation to the movement of resource persons linked to the flood control inquiry.

He said he was informed of a letter from a newly recognized Blue Ribbon Committee informing the Sandiganbayan that it no longer recognizes requests from the previous panel, a development he said could affect the custody arrangements of individuals to be presented in hearings.

“They have the copy already na cancelled na ‘yung order to bring Brice Hernandez here,” Remulla said.