Defense seeks additional massacre trial dates

MANILA, Philippines - The defense panel in the Maguindanao massacre case has asked the court handling the three-year-old trial to schedule additional hearing dates to expedite the proceedings.

In a six-page motion filed with the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221, lawyers of some of the massacre suspects asked Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes to set additional bail hearings on Monday mornings.

“In the greater interest of justice for accused who had been languishing in jail for over three years, especially some where no direct evidence had been adduced linking them to the carnage, the presiding judge must exercise her authority to compel obedience to her orders,” said the defense motion.

Hearings on bail petitions are presently held on Wednesdays and Thursdays, while the court hears various motions on the case every Mondays.

The defense noted that Solis-Reyes has previously proposed additional hearings to expedite the trial but the prosecution rebuffed the suggestion.

The defense said the prosecution must not be allowed to delay the proceedings by not agreeing to additional trial dates upon the pretext that it will be difficult for them.

“Under any standard, over three years of bail hearings is way, way too long,” the defense lawyers said.   – Janvic Mateo

The motion was supported by the counsel of suspect PO2 Saudiar Ulah, who said that no evidence has been presented against his client despite the three years of trial.

The prosecution had earlier said they could not terminate the presentation of their witnesses on the bail motions because they have yet to present crucial witnesses who would positively identify some of the suspects in the massacre. Lawyers for the defense are opposing the presentation of the witnesses.

Earlier, the defense also sought the setting of a separate hearing schedule on the bail petition of former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) governor Zaldy Ampatuan.

The prosecution, however, opposed the motion and cited a previous court ruling disallowing the setting of separate trials for the accused.

Based on court records, 58 of the 100 arrested massacre suspects have filed petitions for bail. The latest was for the temporary freedom of Ampatuan, who was arraigned last December.

One of the arrested suspects had been released as his case was dismissed, while another died after allegedly jumping off the roof of his detention facility at Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig.

A total of 197 suspects were initially implicated in the Nov. 23, 2009 massacre, which claimed the lives of 58 people, including at least 32 media practitioners.

Members of the Ampatuan clan were tagged as masterminds behind the massacre. They denied the allegations against them.

Members of the media were supposed to cover the filing of the certificate of candidacy of then-Buluan vice mayor and now Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu when they were stopped and murdered by more than 100 armed men.