Retired medico-legal officer appears in massacre hearing

MANILA, Philippines – Prosecutors in the Maguindanao massacre case presented a retired medico-legal officer in today’s hearing at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court.

The witness, retired medico-legal officer Dr. Tomas Dimaandal, did the autopsy of three of the 57 victims of the massacre in Ampatuan town last Nov. 23, 2009.

The court had difficulty serving a subpoena to Dimaandal, who retired from the police service March last year.

Dimaandal, who was commissioned in March 1999 by the PNP Crime Laboratory, presented documents of his reports particularly the autopsy of slain journalist Alejandro Reblando of the Manila Bulletin.

He explained how he examined Reblando’s body. He said in his report that the journalists sustained eight gunshot wounds, four of which are fatal.

In an effort to cast doubt on Dimaandal’s expertise, the defense said the doctor was not earning enough while in private practice, which is the reason why he joined the Philippine National Police.

Dimaandal irately rejected the claim and said joining the police’s crime laboratory was a “personal choice.”