AMPATUAN TRIAL WATCH

CMFR/PHILIPPINES – Branch 221 of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court temporarily allowed last June 10 the confinement of Andal Ampatuan Sr. at the National Kidney Transplant Institute due to the seriousness of his condition. The court had earlier allowed Andal Sr. to be brought to the Philippine General Hospital in May 2015.

Andal, Sr. is among the principal accused in the planning and execution of the 2009 Ampatuan (Maguindanao)  Massacre in which 58 men and women were killed, including 32 journalists and media workers.

Nena Santos, lawyer for some private complainants, told CMFR that Ampatuan Sr. was suffering from cirrhosis of the liver. The prosecution has yet to comment on the 9 June 2015 motion for the continued confinement of Andal Sr. filed by the lawyer of Andal “Unsay” Ampatuan Jr. “by way of special appearance.”

Meanwhile, Unsay’s lawyer presented accused Theng Sali, a former aide of the clan patriarch Andal Sr. during the 10 June 2015 hearing. The trial court is currently hearing the rebuttal evidence of Unsay Ampatuan in support of his bail petition.

The court also issued subpoenas to former Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza, former Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera, lawyer Joseph Pantojan, and representatives of the Bureau of Immigration and the Department of Foreign Affairs (Passport Division) upon the motion of Unsay’s lawyer. Lawyer Salvador Panelo will present their testimonies as part of Unsay’s rebuttal evidence.

Unsay is also set to present Jerramy Joson in his defense. Joson claimed that lawyers Nena Santos and Gemma Oquendo ordered her to fabricate the bribery charges against some DOJ officials and prosecutors. In 2014, Joson appeared in an ABS-CBN television report alleging that DOJ Usec. Francisco Baraan and some prosecutors had been bribed to favor the Ampatuan camp.

During the hearing, Santos told the court that her client, Esmael Mangudadatu, has filed charges accusing Joson of libel and bribery before the Maguindanao prosecutor’s office.