Former Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca has been dismissed from government service following an order signed by Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, marking a major development in the administrative proceedings linked to the controversial security incident at the Senate earlier this year.
Speaking in a radio interview on Saturday, Remulla disclosed that he signed Aplasca’s dismissal order on June 29, although he declined to immediately discuss the specific grounds for the penalty, saying the official decision would soon be made public.
According to the Ombudsman, the written ruling will provide the full basis for the dismissal to avoid speculation and ensure transparency once released.
The latest sanction comes just weeks after Aplasca was placed under preventive suspension for six months while authorities investigated the Senate shooting incident that drew widespread public attention.
The controversy stemmed from an encounter in which Aplasca, a retired police general serving as Senate Sergeant-at-Arms at the time, acknowledged firing what he described as a “warning shot” after allegedly spotting an agent of the National Bureau of Investigation inside the Senate complex.
The incident quickly became the subject of multiple inquiries after the NBI disputed Aplasca’s account, denying that its personnel had unlawfully entered restricted areas of the Senate. The conflicting narratives fueled questions over the use of force inside one of the country’s most important government institutions and prompted an administrative investigation by the Office of the Ombudsman.
The dismissal represents the most severe administrative penalty available in government service and effectively bars the respondent from remaining in public office, subject to the legal consequences specified in the Ombudsman’s final ruling.
Authorities have yet to release the complete decision detailing the findings that led to Aplasca’s removal. The Office of the Ombudsman is expected to publish the ruling in the coming days, providing the public with the legal and factual basis behind its decision.
The Senate has yet to issue a statement following the announcement.