Courts junk suspects’ pleas; journalists’ group calls for speedy trial

CMFR/Philippines – Philippine courts dismissed the petitions of several suspects in the Ampatuan massacre last 7 June 2013. One petition sought to exclude as evidence the testimony of a policeman turned prosecution witness. Two others challenged the indictment of two Ampatuan clan members.

The dismissal of the petitions coincided with world’s largest organization of journalists’ calling on the Philippine government to take steps to expedite the trial as the massacre’s fourth anniversary approached.

The Court of Appeals (CA) dismissed for lack of merit the petition of principal accused Andal Ampatuan Jr. challenging the 8 June 2011 decision of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court (QC RTC) Branch 221 to admit the testimony of Police Officer 1 Rainer Ebus. Ebus’ testimony incriminated Andal Ampatuan Jr. in the multiple murder case.

Manila Standard Today reported last 8 June 2013 that the CA decision penned by Associate Justice Manuel Barrios ruled that the testimony of Ebus “is admissible as evidence for being competent and relevant, and not excluded by any provision of law of the rules.”

The QC RTC Branch 221 dismissed for lack of merit the separate petitions of Akmad “Tato” Ampatuan Sr. and Sajid Islam Ampatuan challenging their indictment. Akmad and Sajid Islam, who are first degree relatives of Andal Ampatuan Jr., have not yet been arraigned for the Ampatuan massacre.

According to a report from the Philippine Daily Inquirer last 7 June 2013, the QC RTC denied Akmad and Sajid Islam’s pleadings because the arguments they raised were already included in earlier motions that the court had already denied.

Meanwhile, on 8 June 2013, the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP) reported that the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) passed a resolution during the latter’s 28^th World Congress in Dublin, Ireland calling on the Philippine government to speed up the Ampatuan massacre trial.

“Everybody is disappointed that after years and years of campaigning, the justice system in the Philippines has not moved forward. Journalists here from 120 countries are absolutely united in making sure that they will help the widest campaigns until justice is found,” NUJP quoted IFJ president Jim Boumelha as saying.

In 23 November 2009, 58 people including 32 media workers were killed in the town of Ampatuan, province of Maguindanao in southern Philippines, in an incident of election-related violence. The massacre has been called by the Committee to Protect Journalists as the single deadliest event for journalists in history.

A total of 194 individuals are accused of masterminding and carrying out the massacre, of which 90 are at large. Of the 104 under custody, only 93 have been arraigned due to pending defense motions and petitions.