Senate Sergeant-at-Arms retired police major general Ma. Oronado Ranada Aplasca has refused to cooperate with investigators probing last week’s shooting incident inside the Senate complex that coincided with Senator Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa evading arrest over an International Criminal Court warrant.
Aplasca is a member of Philippine Military Academy Class of 1987. He reportedly entered the academy as a classmate of Dela Rosa under PMA Class of 1986 but graduated a year later.
In a Malacañang press briefing Tuesday, Interior Secretary Juanito Victor ‘Jonvic’ Remulla Jr. said Aplasca declined to appear before the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and refused to surrender his firearm for ballistic examination.
‘He refused to appear and gave an excuse. He was supposed to turn over his firearm so that we can run the ballistics, but he did not appear before the CIDG,’ Remulla said.
Aplasca earlier admitted firing what he described as a warning shot during the incident. The Office of the Ombudsman subsequently placed him under six months’ preventive suspension to prevent possible interference in the investigation.
Based on an investigation conducted by the Philippine National Police using closed-circuit television footage from the Government Service Insurance System building in Pasay City, where the Senate is temporarily holding office, authorities believe Aplasca initiated the shooting incident.
Initial reports indicated the shots were fired after Aplasca allegedly believed members of the National Bureau of Investigation were attempting to enter Senate premises to arrest Dela Rosa.
Remulla said investigators found that Aplasca also fired toward the vicinity of a person later identified as an NBI agent.
‘Shortly thereafter, he fired three shots toward-not exactly in the direction-but toward the vicinity of the NBI agent,’ Remulla said.
The NBI agent reportedly returned fire after believing he was under attack.
The DILG clarified that the NBI personnel involved were stationed only in the GSIS section of the building to secure valuable paintings from possible protesters and were not deployed inside Senate premises.
Scene of the Crime Operatives recovered 44 spent shell casings from the incident. Aside from Aplasca, authorities identified Charlie Dumlao Montilla, Joemil Salazar Ledesma and NBI Senior Agent Darwin Nicomedes Francisco as among the probable shooters involved.
PNP chief Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said 21 of the recovered shell casings came from firearms used by Montilla, Ledesma and Francisco.
‘We will be inviting again on another day for General Aplasca to appear. That is to finally identify the source of the remaining 23 fired cartridges,’ Nartatez said.
The PNP has already turned over its findings to the Department of Justice, including what authorities described as ‘compelling’ evidence contradicting claims by Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano that the Senate had been attacked.
Remulla, however, stopped short of saying the incident was staged.
Justice Secretary Frederick A. Vida said a DOJ panel has begun reviewing evidence gathered by investigators, including materials collected from the Senate complex between May 11 and May 14.
Vida said authorities have already identified possible individuals who may be held liable, although he declined to disclose names pending completion of the verification process.