Gov’t move to re-raffle Kuratong case remanded to Yadao sala

Executive Judge Natividad Dizon of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court tossed back yesterday to Branch 18 court Judge Theresa Yadao the 1995 Kuratong Baleleng multiple murder case implicating Sen. Panfilo Lacson and 33 police officers.

"The motion (of the government to re-raffle the case to a family court) should be filed before Branch 18," she said.

"Whatever incidents of the case, once the case has been raffled to a court, that is the court which should act on these other incidents. That is all ... we only resolved the administrative matter."

First Vice Executive Judge Apolinario Bruselas said the court’s raffle committee headed by Dizon has no authority to act on the government’s motion to recall a raffle.

"Once the raffle is completed, all other incidents should be addressed to the court to which the case has been raffled," he said.

Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuño said they will re-file the motion before Branch 18 court to which the case had been earlier raffled.

Yadao should decide the government’s motion to re-raffle the case before holding a hearing to determine probable cause, he added.

Lacson and his co-accused are asking Yadao to determine probable cause before ordering their arrest.

Yadao is set to hear today the defense’s motion to determine probable cause and hold the issuance of any arrest warrant.

Earlier, Zuño said the Kuratong Baleleng case should be tried before a family court, and not in Yadao’s court.

Branch 18 is assigned to handle cases of heinous crimes.

On the other hand, Rick Abcede, national chairman of the Filipino Lawyers for Good Governance, asked the Senate yesterday to apologize to the Supreme Court for allowing Lacson to make "merciless and barbaric attacks" against the justices.

"In the third and final installment of his exposé, Senator Lacson apparently was scraping for something new to say, and finding none, ended up rehashing charges he had earlier made against First Gentleman (Jose Miguel Arroyo), several innocent persons and government institutions," he said.

"Senator Lacson promised a truckload (of evidence), but delivered a shoe box. For want of anything to say, he challenged Chief Hilario Davide Jr. to a debate, including the seven justices who voted to deny his motion for reconsideration in the Kuratong Baleleng case."

Abcede said the Senate should take stock of itself and stop Lacson from utilizing its hallowed halls for his "selfish" political ends.

"It’s time the Senate haled Senator Lacson to the ethics committee, not so much to punish him for his abuse of the privilege hour as an occasion to inflict vengeance on those he cannot gun down, but for the Senate to revitalize its adherence to decorum proper to that august body," he said. –Pia Lee-Brago