Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate of the Philippines

Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate of the Philippines
Tagapamayapa ng Senado ng Pilipinas
Incumbent Mao Aplasca since July 28, 2025
Senate of the Philippines
Style	The Honorable
Seat	GSIS Building, Financial Center, Jose W. Diokno Boulevard, Pasay
Appointer	Elected by the Senate
Salary	₱2,270,000 per year (2023)

The sergeant-at-arms of the Senate of the Philippines (Filipino : Tagapamayapa ng Senado ng Pilipinas) ^[1] is the officer designated to secure and maintain order in the Senate of the Philippines as directed by the Senate president or secretary, and is responsible for both physical and logical security for the members of the Senate, their staff, offices of the Secretariat, and all properties located within the premises of the upper chamber of Congress.

The current Senate sergeant-at-arms is retired Police Major General Mao Aplasca. ^[2]

Powers and duties

Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Lt. Gen. Roberto T. Ancan, AFP (Ret.), holding the Senate Mace, with Senate President Migz Zubiri before the opening of the Second Regular Session of the 19th Congress.

According to Rule VI, Section 8 of the Rules of the Senate, the duties and powers of the Sergeant-at-Arms are: ^[3]

• To keep under his custody the Mace of the Senate;
• To attend the sessions of the Senate;
• To be responsible for the security and maintenance of order in the session hall, antechambers, corridors and offices of the Senate, and the protection and safety of all its members within or outside the Senate premises, whether in session or not, in accordance with the orders of the President or the Secretary;
• To execute or serve, personally or through his delegates, the summons and subpoenas which may be issued by the Senate, the permanent or special committees, or the President himself;
• To enforce a citation for contempt issued by any committee of the Senate, and to detain and place under custody any witness who disobeys any order of the committee;
• To be responsible for the strict compliance by his subordinates of their respective duties. He may impose upon them corrective or disciplinary measures for just cause, including a recommendation to the President of the Senate, through the Secretary, for their dismissal; and
• To recommend to the President, through the Secretary, approval of the uniform to be worn by the personnel assigned to serve under him in the session hall.

Sergeants-at-Arms of the Senate

The following persons served as Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate:

Portrait	Name	Term start	Term end	Legislature	Refs.
	Manuel Eloriaga	c. 1940s	c. 1940s	2nd Commonwealth Congress	[4]
				1st Congress
	Leon Nazareno	c. 1950s	c. 1950s	2nd Congress	[5]
	Lazaro Zulueta	1952	1960		[6]
				3rd Congress
				4th Congress
	Clemente Antonio	1987	1993	8th Congress	[7]
				9th Congress
	Liberato Manuel	1993	1994		[8]
	Antonio de Guzman	1994	1995		[9]
	Carmelito Beltran	1995	1996	10th Congress	[8]
	Alberto de Castro	1996	February 1998		[10]
	Leonardo Lopez	February 1998	April 2002		[11]
				11th Congress
				12th Congress
	Jose Balajadia Jr.	April 2002	June 30, 2019		[12] [13]
				13th Congress
				14th Congress
				15th Congress
				16th Congress
				17th Congress
	Edgardo Rene Samonte	July 22, 2019	August 1, 2022	18th Congress	[14]
				19th Congress
	Roberto Ancan	August 1, 2022	July 28, 2025		[15]
	Mao Aplasca	July 28, 2025	present	20th Congress	[2]

See also

• Sergeant-at-Arms of the House of Representatives of the Philippines

References

1. "Direktoryo ng mga Ahensiya at Opisyal ng Pamahalaan ng Pilipinas" (PDF) (in Filipino). Department of Budget and Management. 2018. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
2. Magsambol, Bonz (2025-07-28). "Chiz Escudero elected again as Senate president". Rappler. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
3. "Rules of the Senate" (PDF). Senate of the Philippines. pp. 12–13.
4. Blue Book of The First Year of The Republic. Manila: Bureau of Printing. 1947-07-04.
5. "G.R. No. L-3820". lawphil.net. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
6. Official Directory of the Senate of the Philippines (1960–1961). Manila: Bureau of Printing. 1960. p. 106.
7. The Philippine Congress, 1987-1992. Creative Computech Pub. 1988. p. 43.
8. "Senate Museum". Matterport Discover. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
9. "Senate Resolution No. 9, s. 1995, 10th Congress of the Republic | Senate of the Philippines Legislative Reference Bureau". ldr.senate.gov.ph. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
10. "Senate Resolution No. 124 | Senate of the Philippines Legislative Reference Bureau". ldr.senate.gov.ph. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
11. Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) Board of Directors (PDF). Manila International Airport Authority. p. 12.
12. "Press Release - Gordon honors the late Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Jose Balajadia in a resolution". web.senate.gov.ph. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
13. Rita, Joviland (2019-07-07). "Ex-Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Balajadia passes away". GMA News Online. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
14. "Samonte is the 13th Senate sergeant-at-arms". web.senate.gov.ph. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
15. "Senate elects new Sergeant-at-arms". Archived from the original on 2022-09-30. Retrieved 2025-06-04.