The Quezon City Regional Trial Court has rejected the bid of one of the principal accused to reopen the trial of the Maguindanao massacre case in connection with the murder of 58 people, including 32 journalists, in Ampatuan town 10 years ago.
In an Oct. 25 order, Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes denied Datu Andal “Unsay” Ampatuan Jr.’s motion to reopen the trial and suspend the promulgation of judgment on the case for lack of merit.
Ampatuan is seeking a retrial on the ground that former Sultan Barongis Vice Mayor Sukarno Badal, a state witness, had contacted him through a representative that he was inclined to recant his testimony.
Badal had testified in 2013 on how the members of the powerful Ampatuan clan planned to kill the victims, which also included the relatives of Esmael Mangudadatu, a member of the Ampatuans’ rival family.
In ruling against Ampatuan, Reyes cited jurisprudence that a motion to reopen may be filed when either or both parties had formally offered and closed their evidence but before a judgment was rendered, and even after the promulgation but before the decision attained finality.
However, Badal himself denied in court that he wanted to recant his testimony.
“There is no truth to the statement in the motion, they are all made up by the accused Unsay to delay the case,” the witness was quoted as saying during the hearing on the issue.
Instead, Badal reaffirmed his testimony during the trial.
“With the denial made by prosecution witness Sukarno Badal of his intention to recant his previous testimony given on several dates, it is crystal clear that the ground relied upon by the accused-movant for the reopening of trial has no leg to stand on,” Reyes ruled.
The Quezon City RTC ended the trial of the Maguindanao massacre case in August after holding trial for nine years.
The Justice department expressed optimism that a decision may come out before the 10th anniversary of the gruesome multiple murders on Nov. 23.
Fifty-eight people, including 32 journalists, were killed on Nov. 23, 2009, when they accompanied then gubernatorial candidate Esmael Mangudadatu in the filing of his certificate of candidacy.
The Maguindanao massacre is considered to be the Philippines’ worst incident of election-related violence and is said to be the single deadliest attack on journalists in history. With Rio N. Araja