Mel Tiangco grills OSSA’s Mao Aplasca over Senate gunfire incident

Mel Tiangco challenged Office of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms (OSSA) chief Mao Aplasca during a live interview Thursday on 24 Oras, questioning why warning shots were fired inside Senate premises and raising concerns over Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa’s exit from the Senate.

The interview came a day after gunfire erupted at the Senate complex in an incident involving Senate security personnel and individuals Aplasca said identified themselves as National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents.

The commotion unfolded on the same day the Supreme Court did not issue an immediate temporary restraining order on Dela Rosa’s request concerning an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant linked to his role in the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.

The timing has since fueled speculation online, with some questioning whether the incident was staged, especially after Dela Rosa later left the Senate despite receiving a so-called “protective custody” from the Senate.

Aplasca pushed back against this theory.

“Mahirap yata na sabihing staged itong nangyari dito. Hindi ko naman po pwedeng i-stage ‘yung pagdating ng mga NBI agents dito,” he told Tiangco, arguing that there would not have been any commotion had the alleged NBI agents not shown up.

Tiangco asked Aplasca why he had to fire the warning shot during the encounter, “Eh lumalabas po sa mga ulat na kayo ‘yung unang nag-warning shot eh. Totoo po ba ‘yan at tsaka bakit, bakit kayo nagpakawala ng warning shot?”

Aplasca described the move as part of standard operating procedure, to which Tiangco quickly interrupted.

“Ah standard ‘yun? Ano ibig sabihin po nung standard, I’m sorry, General, no. Anong ibig sabihin ng standard? Walang nangyayari, ang dami-daming tao, magpapaputok ka. May ganun ba, Sir?” she asked.

Aplasca said the men, who identified themselves as NBI agents, allegedly raised their firearms when ordered to lower them, prompting him to fire a warning shot.

Tiangco repeatedly questioned why the encounter escalated if the men had already identified themselves as NBI personnel.

“Okay, so hindi naman kalaban ‘yun kung NBI ang nakita mo,” she pointedly remarked.

Later, Tiangco also took the chance to ask Aplasca about Dela Rosa’s exit from the Senate.

Citing information from a source, she said Aplasca had reportedly been sighted with the senator shortly before he left Senate grounds. She asked directly whether Dela Rosa had hinted that he planned to leave.

Aplasca denied having prior knowledge about the embattled senator’s plans and maintained that his visits were routine.

“Sa amin pong pag-uusap hanggang 1 o’clock po ng umaga ang pinakahuling bisita ko kay General Bato, wala naman po siyang sinasabi na aalis siya sa Senado,” Aplasca said.

Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano on Thursday pushed back against claims that Dela Rosa had “escaped,” saying it was wrong to use the term because the senator supposedly had “no arrest warrant.” He has since been criticized for that remark.

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