OMBUDSMAN Jesus Crispin Remulla has ordered the six‑month preventive suspension of acting Senate Sergeant‑at‑Arms Mao Aplasca in connection with the shooting incident that took place inside the Senate premises last May 13.
Remulla made the announcement during a press conference on Friday, confirming that he had signed the order following a formal recommendation.
“There was a recommendation, and I signed for a six‑month preventive suspension of acting Sergeant‑of‑Arms in the Senate Mao Aplasca for what happened the other night,” Remulla stated, adding that the directive has already been transmitted to the Senate leadership.
According to the Ombudsman, the suspension is a necessary step to ensure a fair, unhampered, and thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the gunfire that triggered a lockdown and widespread panic at the legislature.
“The preventive suspension is meant to make things easier for us to get to the bottom of this,” Remulla explained. He clarified that he has not yet spoken personally with Aplasca, but emphasized that the measure is standard procedure in cases where an official’s continued presence in office could potentially influence evidence, witnesses, or the course of the probe.
The order comes a day after Aplasca himself admitted that he was the first to fire a weapon during the confrontation, discharging a warning shot toward personnel of the National Bureau of Investigation who was earlier arrested in relation to the incident.
His admission has become a central point of the investigation, as authorities seek to establish the sequence of events, the justification for the use of firearms, and whether proper protocols were followed by security personnel on duty. The suspension remains in effect for six months or until the case is resolved, whichever comes first, as the Ombudsman’s office continues to gather facts and determine if administrative or criminal liability should be pursued.
