Defense lawyers: We're not insensitive

MANILA, Philippines - Two defense lawyers in the Maguindanao massacre trial cried foul yesterday over media reports on their questioning of the witnesses, saying they were not insensitive to the emotions felt by the victims’ relatives.

Lawyer Paris Real slammed what he said were “tweets” that referred to him as “baliw” or insane due to a news report that he stated in court the victims could have died of insect bites.

Real, counsel for Datukan Malang Salibo, said a lot of people have called him up about the news article that he said “misquoted” him. “In one of the tweets, I have been called baliw. That’s hitting below the belt,” he said.

Fellow defense counsel Andres Manuel – who represents – Misuari Ampatuan, Moktar Daud, Norman Tatak, among others – particularly reacted to a news item in which he was quoted as saying that the victims had killed themselves.

According to Manuel, what he asked during the cross-examination of police medico-legal officer Dr. Dean Manuel was the probability that the victims might have inflicted injuries upon themselves.

“I never raised the issue as to the possibility that the victims killed themselves,” Manuel told Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221.

Manuel said he was not insensitive and that “I do not want that matter attached to my name.” He said these things being alluded to him were “disturbing.”

“Let’s be accurate and let’s be factual. Let’s go back to the (court) records,” he said.

According to Manuel, these reports might have been among the reasons some of the victims’ families have been agitated – apparently referring to the outburst of Myrna Reblando, widow of slain journalist Bong Reblando, outside Reyes’ courtroom at the Quezon City Hall of Justice a few weeks ago.

Manuel cited another news item that quoted private prosecutor Nena Santos as saying that he allegedly mumbled during a past hearing that if the families of the victims could not withstand his cross-examination of the prosecution witness, they should just go out of the courtroom.

He said court records show he never said that and he only asked if some of the victims families could go out during moments when they became unruly inside the court room.

Santos, who represents Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu, said she “personally heard him say that.” She added that Manuel’s remark would not be recorded because he mumbled.

Private lawyer Harry Roque said what the reporters wrote in the news articles were their observations during the actual court hearings and not based on interviews granted by the prosecution panel.

“I think these incidents were fair reporting. The journalists were present during those hearings,” Roque said, noting that if the defense counsels did not want to be portrayed that way in the media, they should be “careful in their questioning” so they would not be misunderstood.

But Manuel said his questions were “carefully crafted” and that he had no intention to be misunderstood.

Real suggested to Solis-Reyes to have the parties meet to discuss guidelines in giving interviews to the media. The judge responded that the matter had already been discussed during a case management meeting Real failed to attend.

The manifestations from Manuel and Real prompted Senior Chief State Prosecutor Richard Anthony Fadullon to suggest another case management meeting this afternoon to discuss whatever issues the lawyers from both camps would want to raise. The defense lawyers agreed to it.