Rizal Alih’s case transferred to QC

The Supreme Court (SC) ordered yesterday the transfer of the Rizal Alih‘s trial from the Zamboanga Regional Trial Court (RTC) to the Quezon City RTC.

In a two-page en banc resolution, the High Court granted the urgent petition filed by Zambonang Mayor Celso Lobregat for the transfer of the murder case trial from Zamboanga to any RTC in the National Capital Region (NCR).

"The Court resolved to relieve Hon. Peter V. Eisma, presiding judge of RTC, Branch 15, Zamboanga City, of his authority to hear and decide the aforesaid criminal cases against Alih and John Does," the SC said.

The High Court also directed the clerk of court of Zamboanga RTC Branch 15 to immediately forward all the records of the two criminal cases against Alih and his co-accused to the Office of the Clerk of Court of Quezon City RTC.

The executive judge of the Quezon City RTC has been directed to immediately raffle the cases among the judges of the different branches," the SC added.

Alih, a former policeman and member of the defunct Philippine Constabulary (PC) of Zamboanga, was tagged in the killing of 21 people, including a town mayor in Zamboanga, during a hostage-taking incident on Jan. 5,1989.

He eluded arrest after killing Zamboanga Mayor Cesar Climaco, Brig. Gen. Eduardo Batalla, Col. Romeo Abendan and 18 others in a hostage-taking incident in Camp Kawa-Kawa, the PC-Integrated National Police (INP) regional headquarters in Zamboanga by fleeing to Malaysia.

In 1994, Alih was arrested in Malaysia for killing a Marine, was charged, found guilty and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment.

Alih was deported from Malaysia to Manila last January.