MANILA, Philippines – The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the dismissal of former Senate sergeant-at-arms Mao Aplasca, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla confirmed to Rappler on Saturday, July 4.

Remulla confirmed that he had already signed the Ombudsman resolution ordering Aplasca’s dismissal.

Aplasca, a mistah of Senator Bato dela Rosa, was the former official tagged in the shooting incident inside the Senate building last May.

“Actually, Monday, napirmahan ko na ‘yong dismissal ni Mao Aplasca from the service. Ilalabas namin ang decision…para makita ng tao, kasi mahirap na magpaliwanag. Ipa-publish namin,” Remulla said in his DZRH radio program Executive Session on Saturday.

(Actually, the dismissal from service against Mao Aplasca was signed on Monday. We will release the decision for the public to see because it’s hard to explain. We will publish.)

Remulla has yet to disclose more details about the dismissal, but the Office of the Ombudsman likely found Aplasca guilty of an administrative offense that carries the penalty of dismissal from service. This is one of the gravest administrative penalties that can be meted against an official.

The next challenge for Remulla is whether the Senate will implement the dismissal order.

When former ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales ordered the dismissal of Senator Joel Villanueva, then Senate president Tito Sotto refused to implement the order. The order was later reversed by Duterte appointee Samuel Martires in secret.

Things could be hard for the Ombudsman if Senator Alan Peter Cayetano were still Senate president. On May 16, the Senate refused to receive the Ombudsman’s suspension order against Aplasca, with Cayetano even questioning the order.

But the Senate is now under Senate President Win Gatchalian, who was with the minority under Cayetano’s presidency.

Aplasca was at the center of the Senate chaos because he fired a warning shot at National Bureau of Investigation agents suspected of arresting International Criminal Court suspect Dela Rosa on May 13. Hours after the incident, Dela Rosa escaped from the Senate and has yet to be arrested as of this writing.

Before the escalation, Aplasca even told reporters at the Senate, “They’re going to arrest somebody.”

Cayetano defended Aplasca’s warning shot by claiming that the agents allegedly refused to heed the security’s warning and instead raised their guns. Later, the NBI said the Senate shooting might be staged. – Rappler.com