Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano on Friday, May 15, appealed to the Office of the Ombudsman to also consider placing National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag under preventive suspension.
In a Facebook Live broadcast, Cayetano questioned the narratives being relayed to President Marcos following the May 13 shooting incident inside the Senate.
The appeal came after Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla ordered the six-month preventive suspension of Acting Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca over the confrontation between personnel of the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) and NBI agents during the standoff involving Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa.
Cayetano said he accepted in good faith the President’s assurance that authorities had been ordered to stand down, but raised concerns about whether the information reaching the Chief Executive was accurate.
Marcos had earlier issued a video message saying that, apart from NBI personnel who left the Senate upon his instruction, no outside military or NBI units entered the premises.
Aplasca, however, maintained that NBI agents were inside the building and said he fired a warning shot after the agents allegedly refused to lower their firearms.
“Let me just appeal to the Ombudsman, suspend also the NBI Director because he is more of a suspect than General Mao (Aplasca) dito [sa nangyari],” Cayetano said.
He stressed that any independent investigation must be fair not only in its outcome but also in the way it is conducted. “Remember po, in an investigation it’s not only the result, it’s the process. There will be no independent investigation hanggang hindi sila (NBI) sinususpend tapos ang isu-suspend ay ang sa Senate [lang],” he added.
Cayetano also maintained that the Senate fully cooperated with investigators by allowing access to CCTV footage and other transparency measures. He further noted that there is a duty to inform the Senate so it can replace Aplasca and ensure safety within the chamber, especially with impeachment proceedings set to begin on Monday.
The Senate President reiterated his trust in President Marcos’ earlier statements, saying he assumes the Chief Executive acted in good faith based on the information available at the time. (Dhel Nazario)
