No camera footage has been found documenting what Senate security forces and Philippine Marines actually did during the May 13 shooting incident inside the Senate of the Philippines, the acting head of the Office of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) disclosed in a radio interview Tuesday.
Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca told DZRH’s “Dos Por Dos” that a review of available recordings turned up only partial coverage — none of it capturing the movements of OSAA personnel or Marines on their side of the confrontation.
“As of yesterday, pinareview ko yung mga CCTV. So wala po kaming mahanap doon sa area ng position po ng mga OSAA and Marines. Yung nakikita po natin, yung nasa dulo na po, sa buntot na po ng aming mga tactical personnel,” Aplasca said.
What the existing footage did show, he said, were flashes consistent with gunfire originating from the direction of the opposing group — personnel he identified as affiliated with the National Bureau of Investigation.
Aplasca defended the decision to fire multiple rounds, saying security forces had assessed the situation as a potential assault in progress. After an initial warning shot, he said personnel momentarily withdrew before concluding that the size of the opposing group warranted further action.
“In-expect po namin na magkakaroon po sila ng assault kasi nakita na namin na medyo marami sila. Kaya medyo nagpaputok po kami ng marami to prevent them from conducting assault,” he said.
Asked to respond to circulating reports that Senator Jinggoy Estrada had allegedly suggested withholding copies of CCTV recordings, Aplasca said he was unaware of any such statement and declined to address it.
