The Philippine Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the dismissal from government service of former acting Senate sergeant-at-arms Mao Ranada Aplasca, following an administrative investigation into a shooting incident inside the Senate compound in May. Ombudsman Jesus Crispin "Boying" Remulla said he signed the dismissal order on June 29, wrapping up weeks of inquiry into gunfire that rattled the upper chamber’s premises in Pasay City.

Remulla disclosed the decision in his DZRH radio program "Executive Session" on Saturday, July 4, but withheld specific findings, saying the full written ruling would soon be made public. He described the case as "very serious" and said the detailed legal and factual basis for Aplasca’s removal would be better understood once the decision is released. The Ombudsman earlier placed Aplasca under preventive suspension without pay for six months on May 15, citing the need to prevent him from influencing the investigation.

Aplasca, a retired police general and classmate (mistah) of Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, had served as acting Senate sergeant-at-arms and as sergeant-at-arms of the Commission on Appointments. He was tagged as the official who allegedly fired the gun during the May 13 incident inside the Senate building, which sits next to the Government Service Insurance System complex in Pasay. It remains unclear whether his dismissal will affect his pension as a retired officer, and the Ombudsman has not yet confirmed the specific administrative offense for which he was found liable, beyond noting that dismissal is among the gravest penalties available.

The Ombudsman’s move now places the spotlight on how the Senate will respond to the order. Implementation of Ombudsman rulings against sitting or former officials has been contentious in the past. When then-Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales ordered the dismissal of Senator Joel Villanueva, then Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III refused to enforce it, and the order was later reversed by Ombudsman Samuel Martires. Remulla acknowledged that his office will publish the Aplasca decision in full, signaling a bid for transparency as the case again tests the balance between the Ombudsman’s disciplinary authority and the Senate’s institutional prerogatives.

Taipei is doubling down on efforts to cut consumption of single-use beverage cups, rolling out a city-backed discount that rewards customers for bringing their own containers to popular hand-shaken drink chains. From July 2 through Dec. 31, consumers who visit participating Taipei outlets of Milksha (迷客夏) and TEA TOP on Thursdays will receive a NT$10 discount per drink when they use a reusable cup, up from the standard NT$5 required by national rules.

The program, jointly launched by the Taipei Environmental Protection Department and the two chains, covers 46 Taipei stores and is capped at 50 discounted drinks per outlet each Thursday. The NT$10 reduction combines the existing NT$5 price difference that chains must offer under the "Restrictions on the Use of Disposable Beverage Cups" with an additional NT$5 subsidy from the city. The offer does not apply to prepaid or stored-value orders, and outlets in other municipalities continue to provide only the basic NT$5 discount.

Taipei officials say the initiative builds on a smaller 2023 pilot with five brands and 18 outlets that generated 4,385 instances of reusable-container use between Sept. 18 and Oct. 9. By expanding the scope and duration and partnering with high-traffic milk tea brands, the city estimates the latest round could spur about 50,000 drinks served in personal cups, cutting a similar number of disposable cups from the waste stream. Authorities argue that as more people adjust their daily purchasing habits, the cumulative impact on waste reduction, resource use and environmental pressure will become increasingly significant.

The city is also tying the push to its digital payments ecosystem. Consumers who register for the "Plastic Reduction EasyLife" (減塑EasyLife) campaign in the EasyCard Pay (悠遊付) app and link a mobile barcode can earn additional rewards when they buy drinks in reusable cups and opt for cloud invoices, on top of the price discount offered at the counter. Taipei officials frame the effort as a public–private partnership designed to make environmentally friendly behavior financially attractive, positioning the weekly rebate as both a way to trim beverage costs and a step toward a longer-term shift away from disposable cups in one of the world’s most beverage-focused urban markets.