Fiscals in massacre trial ‘at odds’ over proceedings

MANILA, Philippines - Two lawyers representing some of the victims in the Maguindanao massacre revealed yesterday a supposed rift between public and private prosecutors handling the landmark case.

Lawyers Nena Santos and Prima Quinsayas, in a press conference in Quezon City yesterday, said government lawyers have kept them out of the loop of the proceedings as early as 2013.

For instance, Quinsayas said she only learned of the decision to drop backhoe driver Bong Andal from the list of possible witnesses through an article released in The STAR.

The two lawyers – as well as private prosecutor Gemma Oquendo – are opposing the move of the public prosecutors to end the presentation of evidence-in-chief against suspect Andal Ampatuan Jr. and 27 others.

Oquendo, in a statement, said the private prosecutors were not consulted with the decision to rest the case against some of the suspects. Her sister and father were among those who died in the Nov. 23, 2009 massacre.

Another private prosecutor, however, disputed the claims of Santos and Quinsayas that all private prosecutors were being left out of the proceedings.

 “There’s no conflict between the public and private prosecutors in the Ampatuan massacre case. The conflict is between (Santos and Quinsayas) and everyone else,” University of the Philippines law professor Harry Roque said in a statement.

Roque, through the Center for International Law (CenterLaw), represents some of the media victims in the massacre.

To end or not to end?

The issue of the supposed rift between the prosecution panel revolves on the decision of the government lawyers to end the presentation of evidence-in-chief against Ampatuan and 27 others in a manifestation dated Feb. 28.

The manifestation was filed even as the court has yet to rule on the bail petition of the 23 suspects named in the manifestation.

Quinsayas and Santos said resting in evidence-in-chief before the court rules on the bail petitions is “unprocedural.” They said there are other witnesses that have to be presented after the ruling on the bail petition.

Roque, however, said they could not join Santos and Quinsayas in their objection as they are the ones who are pushing for a partial ruling on the case.