Senator Bam Aquino formally sought a legislative inquiry on Friday into the violent confrontation between the Office of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) personnel that occurred within the Senate premises on May 13.
Aquino filed Senate Resolution Number 397, citing the urgent need to reconcile conflicting narratives provided by various government officials and agencies regarding the Wednesday night encounter.
“Merong nangyaring pagputok, maraming empleyado ang inakalang mamamatay sila. Kami mga senador hindi rin malinaw. Hangga ngayon, hindi rin malinaw kung ano ba talaga iyong nangyari at mahalaga sa taumbayan na malaman natin. Let’s get to the bottom of this. What really happened that night?”
The Senator emphasized that the investigation must pinpoint specific lapses in security coordination and identify those liable for the breach of peace in the upper chamber.
“At makita natin ano ba iyong nangyaring mga failure ng protocol, failure ng communication. Malaman natin ano ba talaga mismo iyong nangyari at malaman din natin kung sinong dapat managot.”
The probe follows the six-month preventive suspension of Acting Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca, ordered by Ombudsman Boying Remulla.
Remulla stated the suspension is intended to facilitate the discovery of the truth. Aplasca previously admitted to firing a warning shot against NBI personnel during the incident.
Aquino maintained that the sanctity of the institution must be preserved, condemning the use of firearms within its walls.
“Kailangan kong klaruhin, walang lugar ang armadong konfrontasyon o pagputok ng baril sa loob ng Senado.”