After over 10 years, the court will finally hand its verdict on those accused of murder in the infamous 2009 Maguindanao massacre.
Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 221 Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes is set to promulgate the ruling of the case today at the court room of the Quezon City Jail-Annex compound at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City.
In attendance to hear the promulgation are the 101 accused including the principal accused – brothers Shariff Saydona Mustapha Mayor Sajid Ampatuan, former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Governor Zaldy Ampatuan, and former Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan.
Among the 101 accused, only Sajid Ampatuan was granted bail by Reyes back in January 2015 and was affirmed later by the Court of Appeals in September 2017.
There are 80 other accused who remain at large.
They are among the 197 persons initially charged for 58 counts of murder in connection with the case.
Among the 197 initially charged, eight have already died including the brothers’ father and also principal accused, former Maaguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr.. He passed away due to liver cancer in July 2015 while confined at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute in Quezon City.
Also, among the 197 initially charged, there were two who were turned into state witnesses and six who were cleared of charges, while the rest remain at large.
Supreme Court (SC) spokesman Brian Hosaka said the promulgation starts at 9 a.m. and may reach four hours long due to thick decision penned by Reyes.
However, Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas, acting director of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), said that the entire Camp Bagong Diwa has been placed on highest security alert status as part of the security measures – which include strict entry and exit of even policemen inside the camp from Wednesday to Thursday.
Because of this, Camp Bagong Diwa will be on lockdown starting 6 a.m. on Thursday.
After the SC allowed the Department of Justice (DoJ) to transfer the case from Cotabato City to Quezon City in December 2009, the case was initially raffled to Judge Luisito Cortez but he declined to handle it.
It was re-raffled the same month and went to Reyes who heard the case from the start even though she tried applying as a magistrate of the Court of Appeals (CA) back in 2015.
She was also exempted from taking other cases by the SC.
Though she tried applying for a post as a magistrate of the Court of Appeals (CA) back in 2015, Reyes heard the Maguindanao massacre case from the start and was exempted from taking other cases by the SC.
Also attending the promulgation is the government prosecution team led by Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Emilia Victorio.
Senior Deputy Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon, who was the first person to lead the prosecution team but was replaced in 2011, will also attend the promulgation.
Fadullon revealed that over the years, the composition of the government prosecution team had kept changing.
He said only Victorio saw through the case from the start and was asked to stay on and took over the government prosecution team after the previous head, Taguig City Prosecutor Archie Manabat, retired and eventually passed away.
On November 23, 2009, 58 persons including 32 journalists were killed in Barangay Salman in Ampatuan, Maguindanao.
Those killed were part of a convoy accompanying the group of then Buluan town Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu to register his name for the 2010 gubernatorial election.
The case is considered the worst media killing as well as worst election-related killing in Philippine history. (Jeffrey Damicog)
