Shots heard at Philippine Senate as lawmaker wanted by ICC holds out: AFP

Manila: Multiple gunshots were heard late Wednesday inside the Philippine Senate, where a senator wanted by the International Criminal Court has sought refuge, AFP journalists said.

At least five shots rang out, sending journalists, lawmakers and staff fleeing for cover, minutes after soldiers with rifles and protective gear went up the stairs of the legislative building, AFP reported.

GMA Network reported that at least seven gunshots rang out at the Senate premises on Wednesday evening, worsening an already-tense situation at the building which was earlier placed under lockdown in order to affect an arrest.

The military said the Marines seen inside the Senate were security detail during the "lockdown".

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr late on Wednesday said elements of the police and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) were away from the Senate premises when the shots rang out, and promised: "The government didn't make this".

According to the president, there was no order to anyone to arrest Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa following the Supreme Court's resolution requiring the senator to "explain within 72 hours".

Meanwhile, the president assured that the Senate will investigate the incident that occurred.

Social media erupted with allegations of "smokescreen", a ruse possibly pulled off to protect dela Rosa, who pleaded to Marcos not to hand him over to the International Criminal Court, while threatening Marcos that he may face a similar fate in 2028.

Marcos' term ends in 2028, and Vice President Sara Duterte, a close ally of dela Rosa, is widely expected to win the race.

The dramatic scenes unfolded as Senator Ronald Dela Rosa — former president Rodrigo Duterte's top cop during his bloody drug war — was holed up in the Senate complex to dodge arrest and transfer to the Netherlands over alleged crimes against humanity.

His current whereabouts after the shooting were not immediately known.

"My fellow men in uniform" should "express their sentiment" that the Marcos government "should not hand me over to foreigners", he said.

Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, who had barred government agents from arresting his ally dela Rosa, said on his official Facebook page he did not know who fired the shots.

"We heard gunshots and we don't know what is happening. Everyone's locked in their rooms now. We cannot go out, we cannot secure our other staff," he added.

"Why are we under attack here? ... Please help us."

A television journalist was seen crying as she reported live from inside the building, while another senator, Robin Padilla, urged reporters to evacuate.

Dela Rosa, known as "Bato", served as national police chief from 2016 to 2018 during the early phase of Duterte's anti-drug campaign.

The crackdown left thousands dead, human rights monitors say, many of them drug users and low-level narcotics peddlers.

Duterte was arrested in March last year, flown to the Netherlands on the same day, and is detained in the Hague where he awaits trial.

Dela Rosa had not been seen publicly since November before emerging on Monday to take part in an unexpected vote that helped Duterte loyalists capture control of the Senate.