OSAA's Aplasca made first warning shot at Senate —Malacañang

Malacañang on Thursday said Senate sergeant-at-arms and retired Police Major General Mao Aplasca made the first "warning shot" during the incident at the Senate on Wednesday.

Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said this in a press conference, emphasizing that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents "made no assault" at the Senate.

She said that Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) President and General Manager Jose Arnulfo "Wick" Veloso requested assistance from the NBI to secure their premises on Wednesday before tensions rose at their next door neighbor.

The Senate occupies rented space at the GSIS complex in Pasay City.

According to Castro, NBI Director Atty. Matibag heeded Veloso’s request and deployed agents to the GSIS premises at around 6 p.m.

"Noong nakita ng OSAA na mayroong NBI agents sa GSIS, katabi ng blue guard, nakita na agad na naka-gear up ang OSAA—nag-vest at naghanda sa isang operasyon. Pagdating sa bridge sa GSIS premises, tinanong ng OSAA ang NBI agent na nakaupo lamang kasama nga ang isang blue guard ng GSIS," Castro said.

(When OSAA staff saw there were NBI agents at GSIS, next to the blue (security) guard, the OSAA staff immediately geared up—they wore vests and prepared for an operation. Upon arriving at the bridge at the GSIS premises, OSAA asked the NBI agent who was just sitting alone beside a GSIS blue guard.)

"Nagpakilala na NBI agents at nu'ng nagsabi sila ng kanilang pagkakakilanlan, agad nagpaputok ng warning shot si Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca. At dahil du'n, napilitan ding magpaputok ng warning shot ang NBI agent," Castro said.

(The NBI agents introduced themselves and after that, Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca immediately fired a warning shot. And because of that, the NBI agent was also forced to fire a warning shot.)

On Wednesday evening, gunshots rang out at the Senate amid lockdown at the upper chamber.

The NBI earlier denied that their agents were deployed at the Senate building.

Matibag also confirmed that Veloso wrote him a letter which he received at around 5 p.m. on Wednesday. He said Veloso specifically asked the NBI to maintain peace and order in the complex.

Asked if the NBI agents who responded to GSIS were armed, he said, "Kapag may request pong ganoon, talaga pong nakabihis naman po ng pang…ordinary gear na ganyan. Dala po talaga ‘yung mga ganyan na arms."

(When there's a request like that, the agents are really dressed in...ordinary gear. They carry those types of firearms.) — AOL/ VDV, GMA News