Acting Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca has been placed under preventive suspension after personnel from the Office of the Ombudsman served the order at the Senate on Monday, May 18.
Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano confirmed that the suspension order, along with a subpoena for closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the May 13 shooting incident, was received by the Senate Secretariat.
“Ombudsman personnel were at the Senate to serve the Order of Preventive Suspension of Acting SAA Aplasca, as well as the subpoena for the CCTV footage,” Clavano said.
“We received confirmation that both were accepted by the Senate Secretariat.”
The suspension, which will last six months without pay, is part of the Ombudsman’s ongoing investigation into the Senate shooting incident.
Authorities are seeking surveillance footage and related records to establish the circumstances surrounding the disturbance inside the Senate premises.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla earlier noted that their process server initially faced difficulty delivering the subpoena despite prior notice to Senate personnel.
The subpoenas cover CCTV footage of the May 13 incident and documents connected to Aplasca, who is now formally under suspension pending the inquiry. (Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz)
