Senate ex-sergeant-at-arms dismissed over May shooting incident

The Philippine Ombudsman has dismissed from service the former acting Senate sergeant-at-arms, Mao Ranada Aplasca, over his alleged involvement in a shooting incident that occurred within the Senate premises on May 13. Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla announced on Saturday that the dismissal order against Aplasca, a former police general, was issued on June 29. Aplasca was removed from his posts as sergeant-at-arms of the Senate and the Commission on Appointments. Remulla declined to provide further details, stating that the decision would be released publicly "for people to see." The May 13 shooting incident took place during a turbulent week at the Senate, which began with the unannounced appearance of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa. Dela Rosa had been evading an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity as a co-perpetrator of President Rodrigo Duterte. Dela Rosa had been in hiding since November 2025 to evade the warrant. He managed to reach the session hall, creating a crucial shift in the Senate majority, which led to the election of Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president, ousting Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III. After Cayetano publicly castigated then Sergeant-at-Arms Edgardo Rene Samonte for the near-arrest of Dela Rosa, Samonte promptly resigned. Dela Rosa then nominated Aplasca, one of his classmates at the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), to replace Samonte, and the senators approved Aplasca’s appointment as acting head of the OSAA. During the Senate session, Marcoleta moved to put Dela Rosa under the "protective custody" of the Senate to prevent him from being taken by the NBI. On May 13, gunshots rang out in a corridor on the second floor of the Senate building that leads to a passage to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS). The loud shots sent journalists and Senate staff running in panic. No one suffered any gunshot injuries. Hours later, Dela Rosa was seen on a Senate CCTV video boarding a car with Sen. Robinhood Padilla. The vehicle left the Senate, and Dela Rosa again went into hiding. On May 20, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the Philippine National Police recommended the filing of complaints against Aplasca and two OSAA security personnel for firing their weapons "without provocation" in violation of Republic Act No. 11917, or the Private Security Services Industry Act. CIDG Director Police Maj. Gen. Robert Morico II said Aplasca did not follow protocol and disregarded legal requirements for the justified use of firearms, as the acting OSAA chief and his team encountered "no unlawful aggression" that night. Before the shooting broke out, Aplasca verbally asked one of the NBI agents he encountered to identify himself, according to a report sent by Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla to Cayetano. After the agent identified himself as "NBI," Aplasca allegedly saw the agent raising a "long firearm," prompting the OSAA chief to fire a "warning shot," the report added. According to Morico, the NBI agent fired at least five shots as he stepped back—all directed away from Aplasca. The agent then met his companion and they regrouped with the rest of their team, the CIDG chief said. Aplasca disputed the accuracy of CCTV videos presented by the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Philippine National Police purportedly showing him firing shots at the NBI agent, claiming it was "spliced" to "support their narrative." Morico said that 39 of the 44 spent shells recovered at the scene came from only three guns, all issued to the OSAA team. He described the action taken by the OSAA personnel in the May 13 incident as "overkill." Addressing a rally by thousands of Iglesia ni Cristo members protesting against Marcoleta’s imminent arrest on June 30, Padilla referred to the CCTV video as he defended himself from allegations that he helped Dela Rosa to escape. "Does Bato look like he escaped?" he said, speaking in Filipino. "Incredible! We were just walking, we rode a car, we went out. There were thousands of police, no one stopped to arrest us. How is that an escape?" —WITH A REPORT FROM INQUIRER RESEARCH