Pasay city: The Philippine Navy (PN) announced that the Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) personnel stationed at the Senate Building in Pasay City during the May 13 shooting incident have tested negative for gunpowder residue, according to its spokesperson on Tuesday.

According to Philippines News Agency, PN spokesperson Captain Marissa Martinez confirmed in an interview with reporters that the Marines were not directly involved in the incident, as they tested negative on their paraffin test. The paraffin test is a method used by investigators to detect gunshot residue on a person's hands.

Martinez explained that the Philippine National Police conducted the gunpowder residue tests as part of the investigation process. "They came out clean," she stated, indicating that the Marine personnel did not discharge their firearms during the tense standoff. This standoff involved agents from the National Bureau of Investigations (NBI) and the Senate's Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) after a reported failed attempt to serve an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Sen. Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa.

The PMC, one of the two major units of the PN alongside the Philippine Fleet, had only a small contingent stationed at the Senate Building. Martinez noted that just 24 Marines, led by an officer-in-charge, were detailed at the location. During the incident, the number of Marines present was even lower due to their rotational duty schedule, with only about 10 to 12 personnel on site.