‘No reason for judges to be intimidated’

"A judge should not be afraid."

With these words, Quezon City Regional Trial Court Judge Ma. Theresa Torres-Yadao announced yesterday how she will be handling the controversial Kuratong Baleleng case.

Yadao, who is in her 50s, said there is no reason for judges to be intimidated by controversial or high-profile cases. "They should not be afraid to handle cases, whether big or small," she told reporters.

The Supreme Court voted 13-0 recently to order Yadao to rule on the validity of the March 1999 decision to dismiss the murder charges against now Sen. Panfilo Lacson and 33 other police officers. The decision was made by Yadao’s predecessor, Judge Wenceslao Agnir. Two justices – Antonio Carpio and Jose Melo – abstained.

While the SC ruling did not call for an immediate reopening of the trial, it may pave the way for a revival of charges against Lacson. The senator was the head of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force during the Estrada administration.

"This court is not in a position to rule whether the re-filing of the cases for multiple murder against Lacson should be enjoined," part of the SC ruling reads. "Fundamental fairness requires that both the prosecution and Lacson should be afforded the opportunity to be heard."

The Kuratong case added to Yadao’s already tight schedule and the list of about 300 cases pending in her court. Many of those cases involve public officials and infamous private figures, drawing a lot of attention from the media.

One of the cases her court is hearing is the rebellion charges filed against former Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile. The charges were in connection with the bloody march to Malacañang in May last year by supporters of former President Joseph Estrada. Another is the controversial Quintos double-murder case against Occidental Mindoro Gov. Luis Villarosa and the "Mamburao Six" farmers.

Yadao is also the judge in the Valerio case, which centers on the murder of the chief of the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC). Furthermore, she is also hearing the drug-trafficking case involving former Panukulan town mayor, Ronnie Mitra. Police accused Mitra of attempting to smuggle some 500 kilograms of shabu.

Yadao said her court will be able to handle the Kuratong case efficiently, citing the resources it has. However, the high number of cases pending in her court is likely to delay Yadao’s ruling on it.

"That is the reason why we cannot hold daily hearings on the case," she said. "At the most, I can hear this case once a week."

But the tight schedule doesn’t keep her from caring for her pet dogs, from whom she seeks comfort at the end of a long and hard day on the bench, that is decorated with an opened Bible, a miniature scale and a bouquet of orchids.

Yadao keeps nine dachshunds as a hobby, she told reporters. "There are no other important figures in my life – only my nine dogs and my 30-year-old son," said the widow of state prosecutor Felipe Yadao Sr. The judge did not divulge any detail about her son, a businessman, saying she wanted to keep him from the public eye.