Court rejects Datu Andal Ampatuan's bid to reopen Maguindanao massacre trial

MANILA, Philippines — The Quezon City court rejected the bid of Datu Andal “Unsay” Ampatuan Jr. to reopen the multiple murder trial over the gruesome massacre of 58 people in Maguindanao in 2009.

Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 Presiding Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes denied Ampatuan’s Motion to Re-Open Trial with Motion to Suspend Period to Set the Promulgation of Judgment on October 25 due to lack of merit.

An ABS-CBN report said that according to court records, the case was submitted for decision Aug. 22, 2019. This means that the sala of Judge Reyes has 90 days to rule on the charges, and a decision may be expected on or before November 20.

By November 23 this year, the Ampatuan massacre, considered both the deadliest attack against journalists and the worst case of election-related violence in Philippine history, will reach its 10th Anniversary.

READ: As Ampatuan case nears end, massacre victims' kin forge on with tempered hope

State witness won't recant testimony

Ampatuan, the primary suspect in the gruesome case, moved for the re-opening of the trial claiming that prosecution witness, former Sultan Barongis Vice Mayor Sukarno Badal wanted to recant his testimony.

Badal supposedly told the primary suspect that “those he mentioned during the presentation of evidence against the accused-movant were not at all true,” read the ruling.

Badal, a former ally of the Ampatuans surrendered in 2010 and later became a state witness in the case, testified seeing Ampatuan shooting some of the victims of the massacare.

He also claimed to have been with Ampatuan and the other suspects when they stopped the convoy carrying the wife of Rep. Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu (Maguindanao, 2nd District) and 57 other people, including 32 media practitioners.

A STAR report dated October 18, however, quoted Badal as saying that there was “no truth” to Ampatuan’s claim that he will recant his testimony. “Gawa-gawa lang lahat ‘yan ni Unsay (Unsay just made that all up),” he said.

READ: Massacre witness stands by testimony vs Ampatuan

“Kung anong nasabi ko sa testimony ko ‘yun na ‘yun. Mamatay na ako kung mamatay, hindi ko talaga babaligtarin ang Maguindanao massacre (Whatever I said in my testimony, that’s it. Even if I die, I will never change what I said in the Maguindanao massacre),” he added. 

The court held: “With the denial made by prosecution witness Sukarno Badal of his intention to recant his previous testimony given of several dates, it is crystal clear that the ground relied upon by the accused-movant for the reopening of the trial has no leg to stand on.”

“Thus, the Motion must perforce fail,” it added.

10th anniversary of massacre nears

 Media practitioners and students last October 23 held a forum and candle-lighting protest in anticipation of the 10th year since the Ampatuan massacre.

READ: Ampatuan massacre remembered as 10th anniversary nears

Of the 58 victims of the Nov. 23, 2009 massacre, 32 were journalists.

The victims were part of a convoy led by Genalyn Mangudadatu, wife of t Rep. Esmael.

The media workers were covering Genalyn's filing of the certificate of candidacy of her husband at the provincial capitol in Shariff Aguak when they were stopped and murdered by more than 100 armed men. — with reports from The STAR/Janvic Mateo