The Office of the Ombudsman has suspended Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca for six months without pay following the shooting incident that occurred at the Senate on May 13.
According to Ombudsman Bienvenido Remulla, the preventive suspension was imposed as a separate investigation into the incident continues.
Remulla said the incident was alarming, particularly because Aplasca allegedly fired the first shot against another law enforcement agency.
Authorities are now studying whether Aplasca may face charges that could include obstruction of justice, gross neglect of duty, or failure to maintain safety and order within his area of responsibility.
The Ombudsman’s office also plans to subpoena evidence related to the incident, including CCTV footage and videos captured by members of the media covering the Senate.
Remulla clarified that the investigation would not only cover the Office of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms but also personnel from the National Bureau of Investigation and police officers assigned to the area.
The Ombudsman also plans to seek explanations from Sen. Robin Padilla, who was reportedly seen leaving the Senate with Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, as well as Sen. Jinggoy Estrada regarding remarks about allegedly hiding CCTV footage.
Remulla expressed hope that the CCTV recordings remained complete and had not been tampered with.
Aplasca earlier admitted firing what he described as a “warning shot” after allegedly issuing a verbal challenge to NBI personnel.
In an earlier interview with Brigada NewsFM Manila, Aplasca insisted that NBI personnel had already crossed into Senate premises from the GSIS side, contradicting the NBI’s claim that its personnel had not yet entered the Senate compound.
